Timeslip: The Complete Series (1970)

Holy hullabaloo, I dislike this British series! It is so incredibly slow-paced and boring. Timeslip (1970) is arguably more insipid than the original Doctor Who series (William Hartnell, 1963-1966). As in the first Doctor Who series, the acting in Timeslip is laughable, though sincere; they did their best, the poor dears. By comparison, the original Star Trek series (1966-1968) is light-years beyond in every measure. Enjoy (in spots, if you're a masochist or a completist like me)! 2 stars. (11-27-2016)

Supernatural: The Anime Series (2011)

While it cannot compare to the greatly popular Supernatural series, which ran for 11 seasons, this is a good anime series, though it takes up just 11 hours on 3 discs. Bobby seems like he is possibly from New Orleans rather than Bumthump, South Dakota, and I could care less if the original Dean only voices the last two episodes. I watched this series to gain an added perspective on the original series (which is fairly addicting). Enjoy! 3 stars. (11-27-2016)

Away From Her (2006)

Away From Her is a cogent study in the emotional dynamics of how one loving couple, married for decades and through thick and thin, grapples with the onset of Alzheimer's. The wife (Julie Christie as Fiona) comes down with the affliction, and as a result, her loving husband (Gordon Pinsent as Grant) has his own cross to bear. The normally effective script rings hollow at two primary points: Fiona is determined to enter a managed-care home (normally a last resort) far too early in her prognosis, forgoing simple in-home care options, and Fiona deteriorates during the home's required 30-day initial quarantine from all family contact (a ridiculous and counterproductive policy). Aside from those two major plot flaws, the relationship between the couple, and Grant's interaction with the head nurse and another Alzheimer's caregiver (Olympia Dukakis), feel authentic and personal (as Grant ranges from flummoxed to sorrowful to accepting). Away from Her is not as dramatic or poignant as The Notebook but it wears well the cobwebs of the aging couple's past sorrows and present struggles. Enjoy! 4 stars. (11-27-2016)

The Buffalo King (2013)

I ran across The Buffalo King on PBS and learned about James (Scotty) Philip, a Scots-American immigrant who witnessed the decimation of the North American bison (buffalo) and foresaw their extinction. He rounded up two dozen orphaned calves after one massive slaughter to preserve and increase the herd as a rancher, eventually becoming "the man who saved the buffalo." (He died one decade after the extinction of the dodo.) Like many others, I had never heard about Scotty and his role in preserving this part of the natural heritage of America. I look forward to learning more. Enjoy! 3.5 stars. (11-27-2016)

A Dog's Life (2013)

A Dog's Life is a well-done and largely fascinating documentary on the biological and psychological capabilities of dogs. How well do they really smell, considering that we have 5 million olfactory cells and they have 300 million? How good is their spatial memory and reasoning capacity, within existing experimental limits? Behavioral testing with canines is in its early stages, but so far it confirms that dogs are masters at intuiting what humans expect of them, much more than the tired assumption that, like wolves, they are pack animals with a dominant-submissive hierarchy. (A domesticated wolf will always prefer a wolf to a human for company, while a dog will always prefer a human to a dog for company.) As a dog person primarily, I was happy to view this documentary and learn a number of new things about current developments in our understanding of dogs, and what that means for humanity's close friendship, and partnership, with our canine companions. Enjoy! 4 stars. (11-27-2016)

Loving (2016)

I just saw Loving at the River Oaks arthouse theater in Houston as part of a virtual (concurrent) date with my fiancee in Austin. It is a good film but very understated. True, I would like to know more about the legal and historical context of the Loving case, which the ACLU brought before the U.S. Supreme Court to quash state bans on interracial marriage, so I will doubtless see the documentary, The Loving Story. This movie is less of a message film like Remember the Titans and more of a simple story like Tender Mercies. It is about the real-world marriage of a rural couple who did not even care to know anything about the legalities or significance of their historic case; they just wanted to live out their love as a married couple with their children. I think this movie is a testament to the fundamental strength of what a marriage ideally is and does, for the couple and for society. No melodrama or preaching, and you'll have to hunt down the moral of the story for yourself. Enjoy! 4 stars. (11-20-2016)

In the Land of Women (2006)

Three minutes into this movie, we learn that Adam Brody plays a "soft-core porn" scriptwriter whose "famous" foreign-accent actress girlfriend breaks up with him, so after an hour in L.A. traffic, he arrives at his mother's home, where he volunteers to fly to Michigan and stay with his ailing grandmother (Olympia Dukakis, how far have they made you fall from "Snap out of it!"). Almost immediately he is chatted up by the angsty teen daughter across the street (Kristen Stewart, who is not as bad as everyone says) and then daily by her mother (Meg Ryan), who has problems of her own (which she expresses and emotes over with a "children's book writer," as he describes his job, but not with her family). The acting is serviceable and I cannot dislike Meg Ryan, even when the script makes no sense. This is actually the second time I have seen this film, since I caught it on streaming sometime before it arrived on disc via the mail. Many scenes seemed familiar (that's how memorable the script is) but I watched it through to the end. For that alone, I would expect to give this film 3.5 stars, but the gimpy script tugs it down to 3 stars. I hope you enjoy it! (11-20-2016)

Andy Barker P.I.: The Complete Series (2007)

I really like Andy Barker P.I.! It starts at a slow pace but grows on you. Its subtle but steady quirkiness makes it gradually more endearing. The characters are interesting and everyone gets to gleam in their roles (even Ed Asner as the wicked Irish ex-P.I., who we meet in the sixth and final episode). This series was intentionally low-key and thus fated to be cut short. Sure, it lacks the staying power of Columbo or Monk or Rockford Files, but I would not have tired of it. The writing and acting was that good. Enjoy! 4.5 stars. (11-19-2016)

Tru Calling: Seasons 1-2 (2003)

Tru Calling is a pretty good murder mystery with a supernatural twist. The acting ensemble (Eliza Dushku, Zach Galifianakis, Shawn Reaves, and Matt Bomer) has sufficient chemistry to carry the scriptwriting (which was far from perfect, in the opinions of ED and ZG). The show is nowhere near as good as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dark Angel, Dead Like Me, Quantum Leap, or White Collar, much less Columbo (all which I rate as 5 stars and will readily watch at any time), but it tells each episode's story without getting too smarmy. It seems clear to me that the producers wanted a female lead with bedroom eyes (like Sarah Michelle Gellar), but not appearing to be too smart (like Jessica Alba), who perpetually wears an insouciant moue of lip gloss. Tru (Dushku) struggles with understanding and fulfilling the supernatural calling that has been placed on her shoulders, as she works out who needs to be helped or saved, and how. She is strong, although the scriptwriters are her worst enemy. The best show in the first season is episode 11, The Longest Day, in which Tru cycles through one day at least three times in order to find the proper closure. In summary, Tru Calling is a show that I like and do not regret watching, even though I cannot say that I really like it (4 stars) much less love it (5 stars). Enjoy! 3.5 stars. (11-3-2016)