tv

new and noteworthy tv: 1/28-2/4

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In getting ready to prep my end of year (beginning of year) top tv list I started doing a little cramming to make sure I was catching some of the options so I started Maniac and Sorry for Your Loss. I figure I can sample a couple to see if it makes the mix. And if I get my act together I’ll put that out in the next week or so (since my goal was January). And for new fare I am still in so far on The Passage and Deadly Class but had to give the uninspired alien options Roswell and Project Blue Book the boot and couldn’t stick with spinoffs Good Trouble or Schooled. Also checked out the first The Other Two which wasn’t bad but didn’t really grab me though I hear the dreaded it gets good about four in… And have sadly have not caught a lick of tennis though tuned in to see who won.

  • I Am the Night (TNT) Series Premiere, Monday, 9pm – Chris Pine is supposed to be good in this noir though it’s maybe not all that suspenseful
  • The ABC Murders (Am) Series Premiere, Friday – This Agatha Christie mystery sounds like it might hit the mark with Malkovich in the lead.
  • Russian Doll (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – This Natasha Lyonne led comedy about a guest of honor who dies but goes groundhog day on things is getting great reviews.
  • Siempre Bruja (Always a Witch) (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – No word on this time traveling witch tale.
  • Superbowl (CBS) /Dog Bowl (AnPl) /Cat Bowl (Hall) – The sports teams and the homage to them.

Returning streaming: Just Add Magic (Am, Friday), Bordertown (Net, Saturday)

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new and noteworthy tv: 1/21-1/27

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Well I wrapped up The Mindy Project which with binge viewing may have added to the consternation on a few of the plot lines but overall I found it super fun. Moving on to Happy Endings as my background watching, a few of the cast had made some appearances in Mindy so I was thinking about it.

  • The Other Two (Com) Series Premiere, Thursday, 10:30 – Initial buzz on this comedy about two older siblings coming to terms with their 12 year old brother hitting it big is positive.
  • Black Earth Rising (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – Political thriller of the case against a Rwandan general and those impacted by uncovered secrets might be thrilling.
  • Four More Shots Please! (Am) Series Premiere, Friday – Four Indian women who deal with work, life, romance, and all other things.
  • Kingdom (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – No word on this take on corruption turned horror with a plague that makes peeps crave flesh.
  • Australian Open (ESPN) Saturday/Sunday 12:30am – Who will be triumphant?
  • Rent (Fox) Sunday, 8pm – The latest tv version of a broadway show.

Returning streaming – Club de Cuervo (Net, Friday), Medici: Masters of Florence (Net, Friday).

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best, books

procrastinator’s picks – best books of 2018

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Another good year with book club as well as additional titles I was able to fit in. Book club options noted with* (I only missed There, There this year which was supposed to be quite good) and mostly listed in order read.

  • Rules of Civility* by Amor Towles – A great way to start the year we all really enjoyed this tale of a woman’s life in NY taking a turn in the year of 1938, many went on to also enjoy A Gentleman in Moscow.
  • The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware – Underwhelming if entertaining enough mystery.
  • Pachinko* by Min Jin Lee – Very enjoyable Korean drama starting in 1910 in a small Korean village and through into Japan and beyond.
  • The Heart’s Invisible Furies* by John Boyne – A little uneven but overall engaging look at 1940s to present day Ireland through the life of an adopted boy and his surrounding ‘family.’
  • Moonglow by Michael Chabon – Enjoyed the latest fictional autobiography as he listens to his grandfather’s story.
  • Exit West* by Mohin Hamid – Really pulled into this magical realism story of two young lovers who meet and are swept up by unrest in their city and escape through doors to other places.
  • Euphoria by Lily King – Three young anthropologists in the ’30’s caught me up in both their study of other cultures but their love triangle that threatens more than their work.
  • A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin – I can’t believe I had never ready any of her work, the stories gathered here are compelling and heart breaking and humorous.
  • Maps & Legends Reading and Writing Along the Borderlands by Michael Chabon – This collection of essays goes a little more in detail on subjects that are clearly favorites of the author’s but maybe not for everyone.
  • Elmet* by Fiona Mozley – This was one of two books we picked this year that we questioned the balance of good to bummer as the story of a family living basically off the grid in Yorkshire and let’s just say it doesn’t go well.
  • Eileen* by Ottessa Moshfegh – This was the other but bummer, and it’s making us a little dubious about My Year of Rest and Relaxation getting lots of buzz for this last year.
  • Less* by Andrew Sean Greer – I’ve mostly enjoyed the rest of Andy’s work I’ve read but this latest really pulls it all together as a struggling author travels the world to avoid a wedding is mostly amusing in its mishaps but also a little poignant.
  • How I Became a Famous Novelist by Steve Hely – Slacker decides to game the system mostly to get back at an ex has some amusing areas but a little too turned off by the protagonist.
  • The Good Girl by Mary Kubica – Ditto The Woman in Cabin 10.
  • All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld – A woman’s present and past are told with a bit of sheep shearing has some interesting aspects but overall might not add up to a whole lot.
  • Manhattan Beach* by Jennifer Egan – While overall I enjoyed this book it covered a lot at maybe some expense and our discussion turned more toward the three versions of the book we might have liked better.
  • Floating in My Mother’s Palm by Ursula Hegi – Another on my Hegi backlog this was a lovely story of the characters of small town in Germany where we met many in Stones From the River.
  • Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham – This collection was a gracious gift from my City Arts & Lectures attendance but I enjoyed hearing her speak more than I enjoyed the personal essays.
  • Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan – I loved the idea of the culture, food, and fashion that make up the ingredients of this book but overall the story and characters didn’t make it for me.
  • This is My Best: Great Writers Share their Favorite Work – Fun to ready a bunch of stories from a wide range of authors, not all my favorites but a lot of great gems.
  • Sourdough* by Robin Sloan – A fun fictional look at food and culture though maybe not as satisfying as a loaf of sourdough.
  • The Man Who Fell In Love With the Moon by Tom Spanbauer – This book wasn’t quite my jam as we followed a western feeling group of whore house protagonists.
  • The Perfect Nanny* by Leila Slimani – Not everyone loved the book for various narrative and nonfictional reasons but some good ingredients for a good discussion.
  • News of the World by Paulette Jiles – Recommended to me by lovers of this book from page one, and while it took me a bit to get into I ended up won over by this Civil Wartime reader of the news and his goal to reunite a young orphan with her fam after being raised by Indians.
  • The Witches of Eastwick* by John Updike – I’m technically still not quite done with this and most of our group didn’t finish this tough to get into lengthy descriptions.

We’ll keep our eye on Lithub list as these come out in paperback and for a more comprehensive list of best book lists you can check Large Hearted Boy.

What were your favorite picks?

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tv

new and noteworthy tv: 1/14-1/20

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  • The Passage (Fox) Series Premiere, Monday, 9pm – Some good and middling reviews of this story of a lab based virus that could save or end society with hopes pinned on one girl that Mark-Paul Gosserlaar taking care of her.
  • Roswell, New Mexico (CW) Series Premiere, Tuesday, 9pm – This will feel a bit familiar for fans of the old series Roswell, or the book series these are both based on but not a lot of great buzz on this aliens living among us series.
  • Wayne (YTP) Series Premiere, Wednesday – No word yet on this which means I can continue to ignore YouTube Prime, for this story of dirtbiker trying to get back a car.
  • Deadly Class (Syfy) Series Premiere, Wednesday, 10pm – Here’s hoping this new series about an elite prep school where crime families send their kids is good bad and not just bad, could be the exact sort of campy show I enjoy.
  • A Discovery of Witches (SundN) Series Premiere, Thursday – The latest supernatural look at witches, vampires, and who knows what else apparently also based on a book.
  • Butterfly (Hulu) Series Premiere, Friday – No advance word on this three part miniseries about a split couple raising a son who identifies as a girl.
  • Black Monday (Show) Series Premiere, Sunday, 10pm – This Wall Street crash comedy with Don Cheadle apparently misses some of its marks.

Returning streaming: Grace & Frankie (Net, Friday), The Punisher (Net, Friday)

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST.

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new and noteworthy tv: 1/7-1/13

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Midseason kicks off and this week I am most excited about the return of/final season of You’re the Worst and Brooklyn 99.

  • Good Trouble (Free) Series Premiere, Tuesday, 8pm – A Fosters spinoff where I want to say two of the kids move someplace else and start in on new trouble.
  • Project Blue Book (Hist) Series Premiere, Tuesday, 10pm – UFO explorations doesn’t look to be all that compelling.
  • Schooled (ABC) Series Premiere, Wednesday, 8:30pm – A Goldbergs spin off sees I want to say the daughter become a teacher.
  • Fam (CBS) Series Premiere, Thursday, 9:30pm – A couple’s relationship is put to the test when a younger sister moves in.
  • Informer (Am) Series Premiere, Friday – A reluctant counter terrorist informer in this thriller, supposed to have good performances despite a somewhat uneven story.
  • Sex Education (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – If your mother is a sec therapist then somehow you as a 16 year old can become one with peers, early buzz on this is good with Gillian Anderson as the mother.
  • Australian Open (ESPN2) Sunday – First round play begins.

Returning streaming: Friends From College (Net, Friday), Future Man (Hulu, Friday)

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST.

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tv

new and noteworthy tv: 12/31-1/6

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Midseason is upon us and along with things like the return of Project Runway All Stars and Gotham there are some new reality shows including Tidying Up with Marie Kondo (Net) and The Masked Singer (Fox). And of course a host of NYE specials. Somehow I’m still not quite caught up on tv let alone going to see a movie. This might be my worst movie seeing year yet.

Returning streaming: A Series of Unfortunate Events (Net, Tues), Call My Agent (Net, Wed), Young Justice (DC, Fri).

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new and noteworthy tv: 12/24-12/30

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Well we’re wrapping up the season and other than yet another Netflix International release, Selection Day an Indian coming of age story, there’s not much new to note. I have been felled by a somewhat traditional Christmas cold so I’ve been tuning into streaming. Lot of Mindy Project with a dash of Big Love, Homecoming, Downton Abbey, and Casual.

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new and noteworthy tv: 12/17-12/23

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I wrapped up The Kominsky Method which was enjoyable based on our two leads, and based on end of year wrap ups floating around started Homecoming and Big Mouth. The holidays should offer some downtime for backlog and perhaps an actual movie.

  • Overthinking with Kat and June (YT) Series Premiere, Wednesday
  • Boru (Wolf) (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – Turkish tales of heroes in 2014.
  • Derry Girls (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – 90s Northern Ireland teens, initial buzz is positive for this comedy.
  • Diablero (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – Mexican horror fantasy thriller.
  • Perfume (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – German murder mystery.
  • Vanity Fair (Am) Series Premiere, Friday – Adaptation of the novel a woman clawing her way out of poverty to the heights of English Society, looks like mostly well done.
  • Watership Down (Net) Series Premiere, Sunday – The bunnies are back, not enough buzz yet to tell.

Returning streaming: Marvel’s Runaways (Hulu, Fri).

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST.

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new and noteworthy tv: 12/10-12/16

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Ok I really need to figure out what to do about the glut of Netflix series that keep launching. I mostly plan to ignore them unless someone tells me what to watch, which means I don’t usually have any advance info on some of these listed below. Alas should still be pretty quiet until the new year. Time to start looking at best of lists!

  • Champaign ILL (YT Prem) Series Premiere, Wednesday – A rapper and his entourage in this new comedy from the creators of Happy Endings.
  • Hymn of Death (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – A Korean tragic love story in 3 parts.
  • The Protector (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – It’s a lowly shopkeeper’s destiny to protect his town from mystical Immortals.
  • Tidelands (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – A woman returns home to her small fishing village after jail to find there are some other hidden secrets.

Returning streaming: Wanted (Net, Thursday), Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, special ep (Net, Friday), Cuckoo (Net, Friday), Fuller House (Net, Friday), The Travelers (Net, Friday)

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new and noteworthy tv: 12/3-12/9

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I wrapped up Rectify this week, which I keep recommending to people with a caveat that it’s slow and can be more bitter than sweet but beautifully poignant. I also wrapped Sabrina which I wanted to like more than I did, good moments but suffered like many Netflix shows by not grabbing quite enough over the spread of episodes. I also went back and picked up the first ep of Dirty John and it was a pass for me, I couldn’t get on board with any of the characters/angles, for a better ‘relationship goes bad’ I’d go back to You which just wrapped on Life. Mrs. Maisel also returns this week and while it wasn’t my fave Palladino series there was much to like and I’m curious how the second season will go.

This week is pretty light but yet again this week there are a handful of new Netflix shows (for amusement check out SNL’s take) none of which I can easily find info on, the good thing about streaming is I can wait for critics to point me to what’s worth watching: Hero Mask (Mon), Bad Blood (Fri), Dogs of Berlin (Fri), Pine Gap (Fri), Plan Coeur (Fri).

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