Forget the groundhog and other faux harbingers of Spring. I now have incontrovertible proof of its long-delayed and much-anticipated arrival here in Hog Heaven: a truck load of mulch piled high in the driveway. Its (the season and the mulch) presence means that my wife has BIG plans for me this weekend. Plans that don't include reading the latest thriller or watching basketball. At least not while the sun shines.
But, the sun can't shine all the time. That leaves at least some hours when I won't be blowing leaves out of the flower beds and spreading a fresh layer of mulch.
Even so, I likely won't be catching any of this weekend's movie premieres. (DVDs mean never having to say you're sorry.) That includes "Adventureland," another coming-of-age piece. This one is set at an amusement park (surprise!) and costars the delectable Kristin Stewart. The word is that her elegant neck is safe. For now anyway. For those who can't get enough testosterone, there's the latest in the "Fast & Furious" franchise. This one brings back the original stars: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, and Paul Walker. I also won't be seeing "Sugar," a baseball drama that was partially filmed just down the road in Davenport, Iowa. The movie follows the hopeful odyssey of Latino baseball players from impoverished homeland to the American minor leagues and has won kudos from audiences at film festivals. It's on my must-see-soon list.
I also probably won't watch as March (April?) Madness reaches a climax with the Final Four on Saturday and the Championship on Monday. Why? No underdog. Except for the fans of the four remaining teams, who really cares if North Carolina, Michigan State, Villanova, or Connecticut win another NCAA title? Since I'm only mildly interested in college basketball anyway, it takes a cinderella to keep me watching.
If you're staying in on Saturday night--like moi--and eschewing televised roundball, there are a couple of new DVD releases that might appeal to you. The first is the acclaimed--Academy Award for Best Picture--Bollywood drama "Slumdog Millionaire." Directed by Danny Boyle, it's the life-affirming story of an orphaned Mumbai street kid's unlikely success on an Indian "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"
The other, for those interested in a TV series marathon, is the first season of the USA Network hit "In Plain Sight." The series stars Mary McCormack as U.S. Marshall Mary Shannon who works for the Federal Witness Protection Program. Besides the assorted criminals she works with, there's an eccentric cast of characters in her personal life. It makes for a funny and suspenseful hour. For much more on the series, including info on the Season Two premiere coming up on April 19, see here: http://www.usanetwork.com/series/inplainsight/
Some of you will undoubtedly be watching vampire romance "Twilight" which has sold 5.2 million copies since the DVD was released, making it the year's top-selling release. There's no recession for vampires.
There's one thing for sure: I've reserved an hour on Sunday evening for the second installment of HBO's delightful adaptation of Alexander McCall Smith's Botswana dramedy, "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency." For more on last Sunday's pilot, see here: http://flyover-culture.blogspot.com/2009/03/no-1-ladies-detective-agency.html
But, the sun can't shine all the time. That leaves at least some hours when I won't be blowing leaves out of the flower beds and spreading a fresh layer of mulch.
Even so, I likely won't be catching any of this weekend's movie premieres. (DVDs mean never having to say you're sorry.) That includes "Adventureland," another coming-of-age piece. This one is set at an amusement park (surprise!) and costars the delectable Kristin Stewart. The word is that her elegant neck is safe. For now anyway. For those who can't get enough testosterone, there's the latest in the "Fast & Furious" franchise. This one brings back the original stars: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, and Paul Walker. I also won't be seeing "Sugar," a baseball drama that was partially filmed just down the road in Davenport, Iowa. The movie follows the hopeful odyssey of Latino baseball players from impoverished homeland to the American minor leagues and has won kudos from audiences at film festivals. It's on my must-see-soon list.
I also probably won't watch as March (April?) Madness reaches a climax with the Final Four on Saturday and the Championship on Monday. Why? No underdog. Except for the fans of the four remaining teams, who really cares if North Carolina, Michigan State, Villanova, or Connecticut win another NCAA title? Since I'm only mildly interested in college basketball anyway, it takes a cinderella to keep me watching.
If you're staying in on Saturday night--like moi--and eschewing televised roundball, there are a couple of new DVD releases that might appeal to you. The first is the acclaimed--Academy Award for Best Picture--Bollywood drama "Slumdog Millionaire." Directed by Danny Boyle, it's the life-affirming story of an orphaned Mumbai street kid's unlikely success on an Indian "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"
The other, for those interested in a TV series marathon, is the first season of the USA Network hit "In Plain Sight." The series stars Mary McCormack as U.S. Marshall Mary Shannon who works for the Federal Witness Protection Program. Besides the assorted criminals she works with, there's an eccentric cast of characters in her personal life. It makes for a funny and suspenseful hour. For much more on the series, including info on the Season Two premiere coming up on April 19, see here: http://www.usanetwork.com/series/inplainsight/
Some of you will undoubtedly be watching vampire romance "Twilight" which has sold 5.2 million copies since the DVD was released, making it the year's top-selling release. There's no recession for vampires.
There's one thing for sure: I've reserved an hour on Sunday evening for the second installment of HBO's delightful adaptation of Alexander McCall Smith's Botswana dramedy, "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency." For more on last Sunday's pilot, see here: http://flyover-culture.blogspot.com/2009/03/no-1-ladies-detective-agency.html
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment