Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Written by Musgo Del Jefe
MUSGO'S TOP 100 FEATURE OF THE WEEK:
No. 75 – Blazing Saddles (AMC) (SAT)
I can tell that as I approach 25% of my list that it's getting hard to seed some great films. There's no doubt that Blazing Saddles is one of my top 100 movies, but how do you rank it against other dramas? Yet, here it sits above Dial M For Murder but just not as good as Glengarry Glen Ross. I don't even know where to start with the greatness of this film for me in my youth. Along with Young Frankenstein and The Jerk, this was as good as "adult" comedies got. Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder are just the comedy anchors here. A host of Mel Brooks regulars flesh out a ton of jokes and you can't forget Alex Karras punching a horse.
Ratings around this movie . . .
70 – Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid
73 – Glengarry Glen Ross
76 – Dial M For Murder
78 – The Great Dictator
81 – Goodfellas
SUNDAY
Tin Man (SCI-FI) I predict this show wins the "Best Trailer That Makes A Boring Series" award for 2007. It looks great set to music in a 60-second trailer. I fear this three-part miniseries will not hold up well over six hours.
Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (HBO) This John Landis doc looks great – it's not really a performance pic but a celebration of the man who everyone wishes would single them out with his saber wit.
MONDAY
Samantha Who? (ABC) Did I read that this was given a full season? Once again I ask, who's watching this show?
Heroes (NBC) Finale to first half of the season actually has me a little interested. Yes, I'm coming around, but only a little.
TUESDAY
America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC) I think this show is almost giving The Simpsons a run for longest-running show in primetime right now (after 60 Minutes, of course). Tonight it relocates nights to give us crotch hits, Christmas-style.
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (CBS) Another classic marks the season for me. I shall downplay my obsession with this show by not mentioning an actual two-shelf, glassed-in display of figures from the show that resides in my TV room.
WEDNESDAY
Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (ABC) See Rudolph minus half the toys.
Rise Of The Video Game (DISC) I've really been enjoying the "remember that?" feeling of this series. What's most amazing is to see how little removed we are from the Sega Genesis debut in the early '90s. Compare that to less than 15 years later – where will we be in another 10 years? That's the focus of tonight's episode.
Dick Cavett Show (TCM) Without new talk shows, revisit one of the best of the bunch. Groucho Marx is in the chair tonight.
THURSDAY
Scrubs (NBC) As everyone starts to run out of original episodes, Scrubs stays strong with the docs competing over a website that ranks doctors in "My Number One Doctor."
Sand & Sorrow (HBO) Documentary on the Darfur region of Sudan. It's not going to be a happy 100 minutes but compared to the 18 minutes of coverage the story got on ABC in the last year, it's going to contain some information you need to know.
FRIDAY
Frosty The Snowman (CBS) Officially making this Rankin/Bass week on the networks.
Movies Rock (CBS) Well, not exactly "rock" but this interesting special has some modern artists interpreting movie tunes, including Mary J. Blige and John Legend tackling "As Time Goes By." Also includes Carrie Underwood, Elton John, and Nelly, among others.
SATURDAY
The Note (HALLMARK) The note is that Ted McGinley has a stranglehold on all inspirational husband/boyfriend roles on movies made for this channel. What did he do with Mark Harmon?
Numb3rs (CBS) Repeat tonight, but just this last week another person told me I should be watching this show.
TV-ON-DVD TO OWN (to be released December 4)
1. Battlestar Galactica (Season 1 – HD-DVD) Following on the heels of the excellent Star Trek: Original Series release, BG fans get the first season of the Sci-Fi channel series with a ton of extras. The special Razor is also being released this week in regular DVD format.
2. Saturday Night Live (Season 2). ($49.99 @ Best Buy) For those not into HD and just wanting eight discs of comedy gold. Remember this is all the original music – take that, WKRP and Wonder Years.
3. Crank Yankers (The Best Of) Can I take three hours of prank phone calls by puppets? My review coming soon.
4. 24 (Season 6) I think this show plays better on DVD when compared to original airings over any other show currently out there. Nothing better than a 24 marathon. And these sets are loaded with extras.
5. The Wire (Complete 4th Season) ($44.99 @ Best Buy) I know that this show is brilliance and I should be watching. Someday this will be a marathon session also.
TV-ON-DVD NEWS
1982 was the year Bob Newhart traded in the Windy City setting of The Bob Newhart Show to open the Stratford Inn in Vermont. The first few seasons of Newhart should be must haves for any TV fan. It debuts with special featurettes on February 26. Did you pick up MST3K (Volume 10) back in August 2006? If so, hang on to that collector's item. It's off the market because Godzilla Vs. Megalon from Season 2 shouldn't have been in that release because of rights issues. Volume 10.2 will be rereleased minus Godzilla and including The Giant Gila Monster from Season 4 on February 5.
TOP 5 ADDS TO YOUR NETFLIX QUEUE (released November 27)
5. Mr. Bean's Holiday. Bad reviews be damned. I love me the Rowan Atkinson. And you get the creepy Willem Dafoe.
4. Paprika. Didn't you love this director's Millennium Actress or Perfect Blue? Both were a little of style over substance but I'm still a sucker for some beautiful anime.
3. Futurama: Bender's Big Score. C'mon, you should be buying this. But if you're waiting to get it in your Christmas stocking, it wouldn't hurt to rent it now. What are you waiting for – long live Planet Express!
2. Drunken Angel. This 1948 Akira Kurosawa film noir stars Toshiro Mifune and should go right onto your queue. It's not in the upper echelon of Rashomon or Ran. But you can feel Kurosawa and Mifune finding that stride that would create magic through the '50s and '60s.
1. Waitress. Is this the best film of 2007? You have to wait for my end of year list but anyone that's heard me talk about it knows that its in serious competition. For some reason, I've never been a huge Keri Russell fan but she was perfect for this role and right now, I just want to go have a slice of pie.
