Pensamientos Acerca de Televisión

One Day at a Time: “Supermoon”

A lot of the episodes that I've seen of this series have been surprisingly meh, making me wonder what exactly TV critics saw in this show in order to make it a "critically acclaimed" series. I don't expect every TV show about Hispanics to feature characters who act like the Hispanics I know in real life -- especially since few of those Hispanics are Cuban-Americans like the ones in this show. On the other hand, I would like to see some type of recognizable emotion in the characters who do appear on the show as well as the commitment on the part of the writers to at least try to keep things interesting. But up until this episode, I've been disappointed in all that.

Then, toward the end of the episode, Lydia -- the mother of the lead character -- talked about visiting her home in Cuba and not feeling at home and then suddenly for the first time since I started watching this show, I saw something I could identify with. After all, when I last visited my hometown of Detroit back in the 1980s, I had a similar feeling. A feeling that, yes, Detroit will always be my home -- but not in the same way that Dallas was. Dallas was where I grew up. Where I first fell in love. Where I first met my best friend. For the longest time, I did not want to admit this. After all, I loved Detroit and I missed my kinfolk there. For many years, I felt closer to them than to anyone in Texas outside of my own family. And yet the last time I visited there, I found myself missing Dallas. And like Lydia, I was forced to face the fact that my former home was no longer my home.

I still don't yet know whether to regard this episode as a lucky fluke. After all, the writing is still very mediocre and while I have a strong affection for Rita Moreno and Justina Machado, I can't help but feel that both actresses have done better work on other TV shows. And yet part of me is starting to become optimistic about this show's future -- as odd as that seems in the Age of Social Distancing.

Pensamientos Acerca de Televisión

One Day at a Time: “Pitching Pennies”

Geez. It used to be the one thing one could expect from a Norman Lear show was a bit of sympathy for working class folk, if not a bit of understanding for the way they are. But apparently all that went out with the twentieth century.

Thus we get a lot of fuss made over the fact that a hard-working nurse like Penelope (the lead character, played by Justina Machado) refused to spend money unnecessarily -- hardly an unheard thing among the Hispanics I knew growing up. But we see little -- if any -- effort put into explaining what made her that way. Indeed, the very idea that Penelope needed to be "fixed" because she did not believe in spending extra money seemed offensive.

I suppose I should take heart and see my reaction to this episode as yet more proof that I'm not as Americanized as I think I am. And yet I suspect this reaction more accurately means that I have more in common -- philosophically, at least -- with the average white American-born senior citizen than I do with the "woke" individuals who worked on this episode.

Oh, well. As much as I like the idea of a Hispanic sitcom based on what was once one of my favorite TV shows, it seemed fairly obvious that this show was not made with people like me in mind.

Pensamientos Acerca de Televisión

Upstart Crow: “Star Crossed Lovers”

Well, if nothing else, the British comedy series Upstart Crow taught me to appreciate more fully the 1998 movie Shakespeare in Love, which also tried to combine the irreverent humor of Blackadder with the work of the Bard. I never realized how subtle much of the humor of that movie was until I saw this mess.

And yet I can't feeling that writer/creator Ben Elton was onto something with this TV show even though he had a bad habit of getting in his own way. Part of the problem, of course, is that poking fun at Shakespeare is hardly a novel achievement. Writers have been satirizing the Bard of Avon for centuries; the notion that he is still ripe for humor made me wonder where exactly Elton has been all this time. Nor does it help that most of Elton's ideas don't work as well as he thought they did. The Ricky Gervais parody got old fast. So did the constant comparison between Shakespeare's transport woes and modern-day transportation problems. So did the show's tendency to poke fun at its own pretentiousness. Elton's work on Blackadder wasn't always flawless but its highs were much higher than this show's highs.

Still every so often it had its moments. Just not as often as I'd like.

R.I.P. Christine Keeler

English model and showgirl Christine Keeler -- most famous for her role in the infamous Profumo affair -- finished her portfolio on December 4, 2017, at age 75.

She will be missed.

R.I.P. John B. Anderson

Former U.S. presidential candidate John B. Anderson made his last concession speech on December 3, 2017, at age 95.

He will be missed.

R.I.P. Jim Nabors

Actor Jim Nabors -- best known for playing the title role of the TV sitcom Gomer Pyle -- went on permanent leave on November 30, 2017, at age 87 .

He will be missed.

R.I.P. Mel Tillis

American country singer Mel Tillis -- best known for such songs as "Coca-Cola Cowboy" and "I Ain't Never" as well as for being the father of country singer Pam Tillis -- finally got over his trademark stutter on November 19, 2017 at age 85.

He will be missed.

R.I.P. Ann Wedgeworth

American actress Ann Wedgeworth -- best known for her role as Lana Shields on the TV show Three's Company as well as for her roles in such movies as Scarecrow and The Whole Wide World -- walked off the set for the final time on November 16, 2017, at age 83.

She will be missed.

R.I.P. Nancy Friday

Writer Nancy Friday -- best known for such books as My Secret Garden, Forbidden Flowers, Men in Love and My Mother/My Self transcribed her last fantasy on November 5, 2017 at age 84.

She will be missed.

Trailer of the Week: The Mask of Zorro (1998)

The original Zorro movies were notoriously unpopular with Chicano intellectuals back in the 1960s because they presented an image of Spanish California that was very inaccurate. This movie aspires to be a bit more politically correct but it still has issues too numerous to number here.

While I hesitate to be too critical of the movie -- after all, for many years, Zorro was one of the few Hispanic action heroes who was popular with white non-Hispanics at a time when many white non-Hispanics had little use for any such character -- it does have moments that are unintentionally humorous to anyone who knows anything about the history of the American Southwest. Then again, it was one of the few Zorro movies I've ever seen that had an Anglo-American villain and when I was a kid, I never thought I'd ever see one of those.

My Personal Rules for Writing Fanfic

1. Follow the story wherever it goes.

2. All pop culture characters know each other; they just don't always know that they know each other.

3. When in doubt, set your story in an alternative universe.

4. If a solution seems way too easy, it obviously isn't.

5. When writing the actual story, it's always better to ask forgiveness than permission.

Quote of the Week

The health of nations is more important than the wealth of nations.
--Will Durant, The Mansions of Philosophy: a Survey of Human Life and Destiny

All That Glitters in Snatched Is Goldie

If nothing else, the 2017 movie Snatched proved that Goldie Hawn still has it. She possessed enough comic timing in this flick to win over even my grumpy middle brother. Her co-star Amy Schumer, however... not so much.

It didn't help that most of Ms. Schumer's material just wasn't funny. Perhaps a better comic actress could have made the scene in which she inadvertently kills a person funny. Then again maybe it was just Amy.

As it were, Snatched turned out to be a dreary collection of South American stereotypes salvaged only by the performance of Goldie Hawn, who managed to do a surprisingly good job with the thankless role of the stereotypical single mom who was on the verge into turning into a cat lady. And even at that, her performance was not good enough to save this movie. Oh, well.

At least it's nice to see Ms. Hawn is still working.

Pop Song of the Week: "The Stranger"

Perhaps the ideal song for the Age of Masks...

Movie Song of the Week: "Cuban Pete"

I've never been quite sure what to make of this song except to note that (1.) Jim Carrey seems to be having fun and (2.) if the song was good enough for Desi Arnaz...

Then again, I'm not Cuban so maybe I'm better off taking the Fifth.

Iconos de Cine (Resistance I)

Trailer of the Week: The Mask (1994)

Remember when wearing a mask was fun? And Jim Carrey still made movies that were actually funny?

Quote of the Week

The enemy of political progress is the belief that nothing will ever really change. And indeed, if we believe that, we render it true.
--Natalie Haynes, The Ancient Guide to Modern Life

¡Feliz Pascua de Resurrección!

I would like to wish all my readers a happy Easter holiday. I hope you all have a good one in spite of the current health crisis.

Pop Song of the Week: "Run Rabbit Run"

The one song that Anya Jenkins really, really hates. So it's a good thing she's only a fictional character.

Movie Song of the Week: "Drum Crazy"

Just in time for Easter weekend, I post this rarely mentioned song from the Fred Astaire movie Easter Parade. I hope you all like it.

Trailer of the Week: The Andromeda Strain

Leave it to Hollywood and the late Michael Crichton to provide the perfect cinematic escape in these dark times...

Quote of the Week

Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.
-- Friedrich Schiller, The Maid of Orleans

Not Quite Sick Leave...

Apparently my being a Type 2 Diabetic with heart issues puts me in a high-risk category in regard to the Corona virus. I haven't got it yet but I've been asked by my supervisor to stay home the next two weeks in order to prevent any possible on-the-job exposure.

Fortunately, I have some vacation time coming so it shouldn't be too much of a financial problem for me. Plus I'm already starting to lose weight so I might end up being healthier when I go back to work than I've been so far. We'll see.

In the meantime, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. And I'm grateful that I already have a box of face masks on hand that I bought long before anyone ever heard of the Corona virus. And I'm especially thankful that I'm not in the hospital right now. All too many people nowadays don't have a choice about that.

It's Harold and Maude's Illusions, I Recall...

I used to like this film a lot more when I was younger. But you know, you grow. You mature...

Seriously, I did love this movie when I first saw it in my mid-20s. Yet when I saw it again when I was much older, I found it a bit cartoonish. It wasn't so much that the movie had changed; it was more that my perspective was different.

When I first saw this movie, I was flirting with the idea of suicide. When I saw it much later, I had long ago put paid to any notion that I would ever deliberately kill myself. I still wonder sometimes if I'll die an early death due to my many health issues. But I'm no longer flirting with the idea of killing myself the way I used to do back in my mid-20s.

I still like the movie nonetheless. And though I can't help feeling a bit sorry for Harold's various "dates" throughout the movie -- most of which end up being scared away by Harold's attempts to use special effects to duplicate suicide attempts -- I must admit that I have more respect for the movie's ultimately pro-life message than I do the positive messages of most mainstream movies. Even Ruth Gordon -- an actress I usually find annoying in other movies -- came across very well in this flick -- even though the role she played (that of an eccentric old woman) was the first of many similar roles that she would play during the rest of her acting career.

Just the same, I'm glad they never made a sequel to this movie. Or worse yet, a remake.

Pop Song of the Week: "What You Don't Know"

Talk about your subtle subtext!

It's a good thing times have changed so much since the 1980s...

Movie Song of the Week: "Be a Clown"

Hey, this tune sounds familiar...

I wonder if Donald O'Connor ever heard this song.

Song Quote of the Week

Is this the real life?
--Freddie Mercury, "Bohemian Rhapsody"

Trailer of the Week: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

The first of the epic comedies -- directed by Stanley Kramer of all people. Personally I prefer The Great Race but this one has its moments as well.

Movie Quote of the Week

Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we are put in this world to rise above.
--Katharine Hepburn, The African Queen (1951)

TV Quote of the Week

Fear makes companions of us all.
--Jenna Coleman, Doctor Who (Second Series), “Listen!”

Pensamientos Acerca de Televisión

One Day at a Time: “Checking Boxes”

I finally got a chance to catch up with this show and my first thought was: Is that all there is to it?

And my second thought: This is supposed to be a critically acclaimed TV series? Dios knows that I tend to have a soft spot for comedy but for some reason -- okay, a lot of reasons -- this series didn't work for me.

As much as I admire supporting actress Rita Moreno and her past work and as much as I respect Justina Machado's work on Six Feet Under, I could not help feeling a little disappointed in their latest show. I would like to hope that it gets better as time goes on but since this is the first show of the fourth season, I'm not optimistic. And while I don't kid myself that the original One Day at a Time was a flawless classic, it did have a sense of story and character that used to be quite common in popular TV sitcoms. The newer version seems more content to rely on PC stereotypes and PC-related jokes that just don't work.

Oh, well. It lasted three seasons prior to this one so apparently somebody likes it...

Quote of the Week

There’s a place for digging into The Grapes of Wrath during a catastrophe like the Dust Bowl. Of course. But there’s also a place for Swing Time, and Swing Time may be even more important because it gives hope, it allows them to forget – and during that space of forgetting, they remember themselves and better times, and it gives them strength to go on.

It’s funny how people who claim to be Experts in film don’t get this, don’t understand the history, and … even more importantly … don’t seem to understand PEOPLE. How can you not understand human beings and consider yourself qualified to write about a popular artform like the movies?
--Sheila O'Malley, "Watch What You Want. Find Comfort Where You Can," The Sheila Variations, April 1, 2020.

Light a Candle.com

Longtime online acquaintance and fellow blogger Bluejay recently started a site dedicated to showcasing his favorite songs in an effort to help his fans get through the present health crisis. The site's name is Songs for Sheltering aka Music for Uplift, Every Day. I hope you all have a chance to check it out since I suspect it will be well worth your while.