Shiny Things
By the BOP Staff
July 21, 2004
1) The Jacob Burns Film Center, Pleasantville, New York
An independent film lover's dream, The Jacob Burns Film Center is located 40 minutes north of New York City. The Burns Film Center, affiliated with Lincoln Center, programs independent films, showcases artists, and has special film series. It also makes sure not to forget the kids with a family film program. It's a not-for-profit that is truly addressing the desires of suburbanites who miss running to the Angelika or the Film Forum now that they have moved to greener pastures. It's also revitalized the Village of Pleasantville; after the opening of the Center, new restaurants, cafes and shops have followed suit. It's a model for suburban municipalities.
2) Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded August 27, 1883 by Simon Winchester
New in paperback, this book recounts the tragedy on the island of Krakatoa and its impact on the world, both meteorological and cultural. For those who do not know the story, the volcano on the island of Krakatoa erupted; the island itself was destroyed in the eruption and the subsequent tsunami killed upwards of 36,000 people. Winchester, a former geologist makes the science interesting and explains it well enough for a lay person to understand. Plus, he lays out the history of Indonesia, its Dutch occupation, the colonial spice trade system, and even the origins of the Reuters news agency in a compelling way. Forget The Day After Tomorrow...this disaster story is much more enthralling.
3) The Prisoner (BBC America, 10 p.m. Fridays)
Beginning back on July 9th, BBC America began to broadcast three classic '60s British spy shows: The Avengers, The Saint and The Prisoner. While all are worth watching, The Prisoner is the must-see of the list. Patrick McGoohan stars as a British agent who, in the opening credits,
inexplicably resigns from his post and is then gassed. He awakens to find himself in The Village, given the moniker Number 6, and is constantly questioned as to why he resigned by Number 2. Number 2 is played by a series of different actors; as each Number 2 fails, s/he is replaced. The show centers around Number 6's attempts to escape The Village. The whole premise speaks to the nascent questioning of authority wracking the world in the late 1960s. There were only 17 episodes shot and the show ends in such a way as to befuddle and frustrate its viewers. A classic worth being wrapped up in for the summer.
4) Travis - The Invisible Band
Travis' appropriately named The Invisible Band is a great little album that deserves a presence on every music fan's shelf. Featuring mostly somber yet upbeat cuts, the album is never boring and always catchy. The hum-along factor here is very high and while the album doesn't offer anything
groundbreaking on the lyrical side, it does invoke an infectious sense of fun and reserved giddiness. Released in 2001, the album has been out a while and can now be considered a hidden treasure. With Travis being overshadowed by bands such as Coldplay and Oasis, they have continued to maintain a consistent sound and have managed to remain fresh without extending themselves. The music on The Invisible Band can be classified as a mix between the melodic, haunting sound of Coldplay, a band that Travis predates, and the pre-Hendrix rock of The Beatles. The Invisible Band is
Travis at their best and that is a very good thing.
5) Wiseguy - Season One DVD
Season Two of the late '80s/early '90s television program Wiseguy is just out on DVD. While the second part of season two, focusing on the FBI's investigation in the garment trade is better than most things on television these days (Jerry Lewis and Ron Silver are fantastic as the father and son rag trade businessmen, and Stanley Tucci gives his second best television performance...ahh Murder One, another brilliant show), season one is really the creme de la creme of this amazing series. Wiseguy's conceit was that it told a story arc that had a beginning and end within the season. Season One started with the Sonny Steelgrave arc; Ken Wahl's Agent Terranova goes deep undercover
to infiltrate Steelgrave's Mafia family. While those episodes were well developed and Ray Sharkey was electrifying as Steelgrave, it really was the second arc that made the series. Kevin Spacey guest starred as Mel Proffit, the brilliant but troubled billionaire with an interesting relationship with his sister, drugs and reality. Definitely pick up season one on DVD and you'll be hooked.
6) Joe Schmo 2
Like you, the members of BOP assumed there was no way for lightning to strike twice. The original show managed to find the perfect patsy, and the production pulled off the ultimate prank on him. This time out, they tried to swerve both a man and a woman, but Ingrid, the lady, proved too
smart. Before she could ruin the surprise for her *ahem* less inquisitive counterpart, Tim, they added her to the acting cast. All of this is largely irrelevant to the appeal of this season, though. The gloves have come off as Joe Schmo has become reality television's answer to Naked Gun-style parody, making light of programs as far ranging as Blind Date, Survivor, The Bachelor, and Meet My Folks. If you have ever seen it on a reality show, it's fair game for mocking on Joe Schmo.
Remember when Johnny Fairplay faked the death of a grandparent? Joe Schmo does. Enjoy those lie detector bits from Meet My Folks? Imagine them being faked by a cast of improvisational actors. The icing on the cake is The Bachelor-flavored eviction ceremonies. Women aren't angling for roses on Joe Schmo. No, they want pearl necklaces. The sexual euphemisms are fast and furious and the acerbic results are inspired. And we haven't even mentioned the genius of Porked and Beans yet. Actually, you'd better just watch. If we describe it, we are going to trigger Net Nanny.
7) The Dead Zone (USA Network, 10 p.m. Sundays)
Anthony Michael Hall starring in a made-for-cable adaptation of a Stephen King novel sounds like the recipe for battery acid pie. To our surprise, the first two seasons of the show have proven to be some of the smartest television this side of HBO. As demonstrated by the features on the season one and two DVDs, the producers of The Dead Zone have an exceptional understanding of the strengths of the premise. What was once presumed to be a show with a limited run and little upside has proven to be consistently surprising. The major plot of a psychic trying to stop a politician from starting the apocalypse might seem overblown and melodramatic because, well, it is. Even so, the show has shown impressive focus in spending the body of three seasons setting up a coming showdown. They have managed to do so without falling into the trap of Joss Whedon shows and skipping straight to the big finish long before it is time. Our only complaint with The Dead Zone is that after two and a half seasons, we've had our fill of foreplay. Let's get to the main event.
8) Megas XLR
I dig giant robots. You dig giant robots. We dig giant robots. Chicks dig giant robots. Nice.
Imagine if Jay and Silent Bob joined the Autobots, and the Decepticons invaded Jersey. That's basically the premise behind this Cartoon Network offering that sees an unlikely nerd duo find themselves in control of the future's most powerful weapon.
The Iron Giant that Coop finds in a junkyard is the key to a planetary war being fought by Earth and a series of invading space lizards. When the stunner Kiva attempts to secure it from the past, her temporal device malfunctions. This unfortunate series of events leaves her stranded with the two videogame-obsessed imbeciles who are now the world's last remaining hope. Think of it as an animated Two Guys, a Girl and a Robot from Space. But funny.
9) Baseball trade rumors
July 31st and August 31st are the two best days of the year for baseball fans (opening day excluded). That's when contending teams mortgage the future for a chance at the post-season and/or better post-season positioning. After the Yankees take the two best players on the market, the rest of the contenders scramble to get the right pitcher to secure their staff and the right hitter to solidify the heart of the order.
This season finds almost every National League team in wild card contention, so the list of buyers and sellers is murky. Will Randy Johnson, the man with the best nickname in baseball, bounce to another contender as he has previously done with Houston and Arizona? Will the Boston Red Sox finally cut the cord with the team's heart and soul, Nomar Garciaparra? Which of the four National League East teams in contention is willing to give up a bunch of prospects to assure themselves of playing in October? And will poor Carlos Beltran even have his bags unpacked before he's shipped off from Houston to yet another contender/pretender? BOP will be transfixed by Baseball Tonight until we know the answers to these questions.
10) BBC World Service
While Fox News Channel continues its dominance in North America, garnering more than 50% of the cable news audience through muckraking journalism that is currently the topic of a documentary called Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism, it's heartening to know that there are other options. The BBC World Service not only offers widely varying viewpoints from different sides of the fence on a number of different political topics, it also has radio programs on a wide array of subjects, including the arts, business, current affairs, science and technology, sports and religion. If you have XM Radio, you can tune in to channel 131, but even if you don't, BBC World Service streams live on the Internet.
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