#1: Portlandia - Season 1: A friend showed me a couple of funny skits from this show, so I decided to watch the half dozen episodes available on Netflix Instant. It almost immediately became a fairly good Laundry Show - entertaining enough to have on, but ignorable enough so that I can pay half attention to it while I fill out a tax form or wrap a birthday present or whatever. As a tangential note, I enjoy the theme song to the point that I bought it on iTunes. (Grade: B-)
#2: Partners: It wasn't long ago that I mentioned how intrigued I was by this show, and though my predictions or premonitions about a show are often wildly off-base, I certainly called it on two aspects of this one. It's painfully obnoxious, and it isn't anywhere near as awful as The New Normal. After two laugh-free episodes, it earns the distinction of being the first show of the new season that I drop like a hot potato. (Grade: C-)
#3: How to Train Your Dragon: Despite the fact that I'm a childless, adult male, I enjoy well-made children's movies. This one didn't seem like anything special until I heard some reviewers rave about how good it is. I figured that was worth a rental, and I'm glad I did. This is a charming movie, and has a neat little hook about not just accepting as gospel other people's notions about who the bad guys are. (Grade: B+)
#4: Serenity: I've been diving into more Joss Whedon territory lately, and while I've never seen a single episode of Firefly, I thought it'd be fun to go to a midnight showing of this movie with a friend. While I did enjoy the evening, the movie itself was a letdown. It had an off-putting moral message (the antihero protagonist was more anti than hero, and the characters most in need of help were the least likely to receive it). The inclusion of 1850's-grizzled-prospector speech tics didn't help. Perhaps this particular franchise just isn't up my alley, or perhaps I would have liked it more if I were familiar with the TV show. Either way, it's unlikely I'll ever have the inclination to watch any more of this, so it may just have to sit at the bottom of the Whedon heap in my estimation. (Grade: C)
#5: V For Vendetta: I've seen this movie before, but there was no way I was going to turn down a friend's invitation to watch it again while kicking back with wings and beer. Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman both do an excellent job, and naturally, John Hurt is great in everything. As a corrupt high-chancellor in a terror-soaked Britain, he intimidates the hell out of me in this. The movie raises all sorts of interesting questions about acceptable levels of governmental intrusion, and the resulting violent push-back from a repressed citizenry. It can be difficult to discuss "acceptable terrorism" while sucking hot sauce off one's fingers, but we pulled it off. (Grade: B+)
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