Sunday, December 17, 2006

Third Annual Ralphies (2): Film

BEST MOVIE: Boy, what a lousy year for movies, just as we knew it would be. I enjoyed Nacho Libre and Pirates of the Caribbean 2, but they're not really Film of the Year material. The one movie I was anxious to see, For Your Consideration, turned out to be a disappointment. So, I hate to get all haughty and everything, but I just can't award a Ralphie this year for Best Movie. However, I can start a new category:

WORST MOVIE: Lots of competition here. But I'd have to give it to Strangers with Candy, which is not only the worst movie I've seen this year, but possibly the worst movie I've ever seen. Like, in my life. I started checking my watch to see how much torture I had to endure after five minutes. It's even worse than the second worst movie ever, which I also happened to watch this year on DVD: Broken Flowers.

BEST TV SHOW: I've built my schedule around two shows this year, Lost (still great) and Heroes (also terrific). But the Ralphie goes to The Office. It's the only show I watch with Amy, whose taste otherwise runs towards earnest PBS documentaries. So, huge kudos to Carell & Co. just for luring my wife to network television.

8 comments:

Mark Goodacre said...

I am delighted to see that my campaign to have best TV show added to the Ralphies has come up trumps this year. I am enjoying Heroes too but dropped Lost some time ago, since the "lost" the plot. I agree that The Office is pretty good, though for Brits there is always going to be the negative comparison with the sublime original. One of the best episodes in this series was penned by the British creators of the series, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.

Anonymous said...

Molly (the wife) and I make Battlestar Galactica our Friday night "date" show, while my oldest daughter Beth and I "bond" while watching Heroes.

Is there anything else worthwhile watching on tv??

David Bailey

Mark Goodacre said...

Yes, David! Just switch your television on an hour earlier on the Friday, before Battlestar Galactica, and watch Doctor Who. I am afraid you've missed the first ten episodes of season 2, but you will be able to catch those in due course on BBC America (which is currently showing Season 1 again). Doctor Who is the longest running science fiction show ever (begun in 1964) but its recent revamping under Russell T. Davies (2005-6) is on a whole different level of brilliance from anything that came in the previous forty years. It's won awards galore in the UK and it baffles me that Americans are not watching it -- I am afraid you are really missing out.

Anonymous said...

Not to fear, Mark! I have been a HUGE fan of the Doctor since my graduate student days when Tom Baker assumed the scarf.

I always think of Dr. Who as the warmup for BSG.

The episode when Sarah Jane Smith showed up was particularly touching.

David

EMC said...

Fr. Bailey .... Prof. Goodacre. Prof. Goodacre ... Fr. Bailey.

Anonymous said...

and a good day to you, Prof. Goodacre!

My wife and I thought the two hour season finale that aired last night of Dr. Who was particularly well done. Too often in the past, the good Doctor has simply dumped his companion at the end of a season, with hardly as much as a "by your leave".

We were saddened to see Rose Tyler go . . . I was sadder to see the beautiful Yvonne Hartman only last for 1.5 episodes before being turned into a Cyber(wo)man!

Fat Man said...

Did you see "The Departed." I thought it was the best crafted movie I saw in the last 12 months. Little Miss Sunshine was very well done also.

EMC said...

I did see and enjoy "Little Miss Sunshine." Not a classic but fun. Didn't see "The Departed."