Viewing Log [Sept '05] [TV, TV-on-DVD & Movies] [out-of-date]

Submitted by Wezzo on Wed, 08/31/2005 - 01:17
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  • OK, like many others here, I've decided to create a viewing log to categorise what I watch and post a few thoughts here and there. I'm not out to give a play-by-play critique of every scene of what I watch; rather, just supply you with some laughably basic, simple-minded gushing mini-reviews. Also, as many of you know, I watch far more TV (both on TV and on DVD) than films, so movie reviews here will be lacking. Either way, enjoy!

  • 31 AUG '05

  • Friends Season 3, Eps 17-22 [DVD] - 5/5 Season 3 is undoubtedly one of Friends' strongest seasons, and not only contains some of the best humour the show produced, but also some of the very best plotlines. Today I particularly enjoyed the running threads of Monica and Pete, the millionaire, and the at-times-emotional, at-times-hilarious scenes between Ross and Rachel in the wake of their break-up. Chandler's sarcasm is at its' peak in this season too; his witty, snappy comebacks are the source of many a laugh. The episode "The One Without The Ski Trip" is one of the series' best, and "The One With The Chick And A Duck" begins a hilarious series-long running joke, as well as featuring many moving moments between Ross and Rachel. Great stuff. I'll finish season 3 tomorrow, amongst the deluge on new DVDs to watch.
  • Malcolm In The Middle Season 3 "Clip Show" [TV] - 3/5 Clip shows are never great, and this is no exception, but thankfully there's enough original material in this episode to make it worth a watch, and the clips are well-chosen too. But ultimately, average - a level a bog-standard clip show is unlikely to ever beat.
  • Scrubs Season 1, Eps 1-5 [DVD] - 5/5 Will review in full tomorrow as I continue the set: being a relative novice to Scrubs, I don't feel I can comment fairly without seeing a few more episodes.
  • Big Fish [DVD] - 5/5 Wow - what an amazing film. Going into this, I wasn't sure what to expect, other than a slightly more exaggerated Forrest Gump. I wasn't too far off, but the comparisons with the former should certainly be downplayed. The film is very unique, with an approach to the lead character's fantastical stories which bridge the gap between reality and fantasy splendidly. The direction is spot-on, the storyline is outstanding, the resolution to the film is satisfyingly emotional without being trite, and the acting from leads and more minor parts alike is excellent - and the actors playing the parts in the present day are easy to believe as the characters in the past, too. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys films on the quirky side, an uplifting movie. Update: Now added to my top 25 movies of all-time list, at #23.
  • Big Fish - Featurettes x7 [DVD] - 4/5 Not as in-depth as I may have hoped for, but most aspects of production are covered, and there's a lot of great behind-the-scenes anecdotes (eg., Alison Lohman's favourite Burton film is Edward Scissorhands, natch). I was pleased there were so many of the featurettes as a lot of other films try to palm you off with just one or two. The trailer is also good. I'm hoping for a good commentary too, which I expect I'll fit in later this week.

  • 01 SEP '05

  • Friends Season 3, Eps 23-25 [DVD] - 4/5 The weakest few episodes of season 3, in my opinion, but still great. The Ultimate Fighting Championshiop plot felt a bit too stupid, and the Ross's "thing" idea was boreding ridiculous, but the season-ending cliffhanger where we anxiously wonder whose room Ross has entered is very gripping and the final episode as a whole is equally emotional and hilarious. Ultimately though, aside from that final episode, the last few episodes of season 3 are not Friends at its' best. Good entertainment regardless, however.
  • Malcolm In The Middle Season 3 "Jury Duty" [TV] - 5/5 A massive step up from yesteday's clip show, "Jury Duty" is far from the best MITM episode but is still vey entertaining. Lois is at her maniac best, the Francis ice-fishing plot is great and whilst Reese's love of Stevie's mum is questionable the sewer plot is very funny. Hal is probably the best thing about this above-average S3 episode though, his plot attempting to track down Lois' jury case is hilarious. An excellent episode from what is debateably Malcolm's poorest season.
  • Scrubs Season 1 Eps 6-7 [DVD] - 5/5 Well, what can I say? So long Simpsons, move over Malcolm, Wezzo has a new (current!) favourite TV show. Seven episodes into the season, after only having seen a few episodes beforehand, and it's clear that this has the makings of a show soon to be on my all-time-favourites list. A unique, consistently hilarious show that right now I feel I can't oversell. The characters are all fantastic, my favourites being the excellently sharp-witted Dr. Cox, the very likeable JD and the somewhat disturbing janitor, but the ensemble cast really work well as a group. The morals at the end of each show are uplifting rather than trite; the humour spans the gamut from out-and-out slapstick hilarity to sophisticated verbal twists a la Frasier; the emotion in the show is really raw on the occasions it shows up. "My Old Lady" is 22 minutes of the most perfect television I've seen recently: a lovely emotional story packed to the brim with consistently uproarious gags. Thanks so much for recommending I get into the show, Rushmore, I will not regret it. Right now my biggest problem is waiting for the next episode. ..Damn, who'd think I'd say that after seeing a grand total of about 15 episodes of a show.. ever? Fantastic show.
  • Scrubs Season 1 Eps 8-10 [DVD] - 5/5 Another three outstanding episodes, particularly My Fifteen Minutes - packed to the brim with excellent humour. The greatness continues, and with every passing episode I like each character more and more.
  • Bad Lads' Army Officer Class Ep4 [TV] - 5/5 More great stuff from the best reality show in existance. Loved the stuff with Private Kendall and Private Miller, and I enjoyed the return of Corp. Nauyokas (sp?)

  • 02 SEP '05

  • Scrubs Season 1 Eps 11-15 [DVD] - 5/5 More oustanding stuff here. All the episodes were great, but my fave was probably "My Own Personal Jesus" as I'm a sucker for Christmas episodes and it's probably Turk's finest moment so far, too. Another observation I have about the show is that the soundtrack is great: the theme and incidental music are great, but most notably is their choice of rock/melodic songs (generally at least one an episode) - they always fit the bill and a lot are great standalone songs too. No wonder the show's music is so critically acclaimed.
  • Bruce Almighty [DVD] - 4.5/5 Another great comic Carrey flick to while away two hours when there's nothing better to do. This is one of the better Carrey comedy films in my opinion, up there with Liar Liar, Truman Show and Cable Guy, and despite a little too much schmaltzy, rom-com esque scenes between Carrey and Aniston towards the end this is a very good film. The comedy comes thick and fast in many guises, it's fun to see what Bruce does with his newfound powers, Morgan Freeman plays a great God, and the remarks on the tramp's (or God's) signs are very clever and emotional without overwhelming you with morals. The plot is at a glance pretty thin, but there are several layers within the plot - the newsroom antics, the hooligans Carrey deals with, the processing of prayers, his girlfriend - that only serve to improve the film. Highly recommended, if only for the braindead of you. :) And great bloopers at the end too.
  • Bruce Almighty - Outtakes, Deleted Scenes[DVD] - 3.5/5 A lot of good stuff here (over 30 minutes!). but ultimately I'm pleased they left most of it out, particularly the scenes between Aniston and Carrey (though admittedly they may have helped character development) as they specifically were generally unfunny. A good collection of stuff though, worth a watch if you liked the film and/or Carrey's goofy antics.
  • Scrubs Season 1 Eps 16-22 [DVD] - 5/5 Ah, the out and out hilarity continues with 7 more excellent episodes. The show has really improved since the beginning of S1, and seeing as how great it was then, it's fair to say that by now it's fantastic. Of this batch, I loved "My Student" and "My Sacrificial Clam" best, but "My Occurence (which ends on a cliffhanger) is really emotional and despite the inbuilt humour I shed a tear or two towards the end. Brendan Fraser was really good in his guest spot, all of the characters continue to amuse, and I'm still loving the music they use too. And those dream sequences compete with Family Guy for the best random humour around! Looking forward to finishing the season.
  • White Oleander [DVD] - 4.5/5 I'm not usually a fan of this kind of drama, but I picked it up mainly down to Alison Lohman, one of my favourite actresses, and the plot, which I felt would be open to great things direction-wise. Turns out, the movie was a wise purchase. The story, whilst clearly aimed at a female audience, is very touching; it's so simple yet so complex; emotions run high and deep throughout as Astrid (Lohman) is moved from foster home to foster home, being further and further emotionally and physically damaged at each turn. The acting in this film is outstanding: Pfeiffer gives an otherwise very hard to relate to character (Ingrid, Astrid's mother) a vulnerable edge and a deep look at the ultimate purist; whilst Zellweger and Wright Penn are excellent in the two major supporting roles as foster mothers to Astrid. All the characters are believable and each have unique qualities. The film is shot entirely from Astrid's point of view (not literally, but in the sense that we only know what she knows), a good decision in my opinion, and the direction throughout is flawless. The script is strong, the development of the story is consistent and I assume true to Janet Fitch's novel, and as most of you know I'm a sucker for sentimental endings which this film definitely had. Recommended.

  • 03 SEP '05

  • White Oleander - Interviews, Trailers [DVD] - 3.5/5 The 30-minutes worth of interviews with 10 key players (including 7 of the actors) is very interesting, if a little annoying in that each person's interview is preceded by a list of the things they talk about but the things are given no context within the piece itself (sometimes it's hard to figure out who the interviewee is discussing without checkign back). Some good insight though. The trailers are good too.
  • Scrubs Season 1 Eps 23-24 [DVD] - 5/5 As the last song of the season goes, "this is as good as it gets". The conclusion to episode 22 was ultimately positive and satisfying, and the last episode of the season left on an excellent note. Little else to add, except I'm really looking forward to season 2. Now for the extras.. For what it's worth, a season top five:
  • 1. My Old Lady
  • 2. My Own Personal Jesus
  • 3. My Last Day
  • 4. My Occurence
  • 5. My Student
  • Scrubs Season 1 Extras [DVD] - 4/5 Great variety of stuff here. The newbies documentary was very good and comprehensive, the deleted scenes and outtakes were generally funny, the interview with Zach Braff was pretty good, the "Funniest Moments" were great and seeing John C. McGinley interviewed made my day! The "Superman" music video wasn't bad either.. all in all, a good wide collection that took well over an hour to delve into.
  • Matchstick Men [DVD] - 5/5 Rewatch... I'll review it next time I watch it (probably very soon), I was quite tired when I watched it last night.
  • The X Factor [TV] - 4/5 More excellently hilarious auditions, though I was surprised at Louis' behaviour.. as Sharon said, it seems as though he and Simon have switched. Their reactions to the Spanish singer were priceless.
  • Frasier Season 2 Eps 16-18 [DVD] - 5/5 A run of three classics here. Kicks off with "The Show Where Sam Shows Up", not the best of the three but certainly the best episode of all-time featuring the return of a Cheers character - lots of good jokes and not a bad plot, either. Next is all-time great "Daphne's Room", filled to the brim with hilarious verbal and physical humour with some of the most memorable scenes in the show's history (those with Frasier in Daphne's room), and Jane Leeves and Kelsey Grammer at their very, very best. Finally, "The Club", an excellent Niles Vs. Frasier episode with more memorable moments, some excellent quips from Niles and an ultimately satisfying resolution to the plot. Overall, an excellent triple bill.

  • 04 SEP '05

  • Frasier Season 2 Eps 13, 24 [DVD] - 5/5 Two more greats, both vastly underrated. "Retirement Is Murder" is a very clever episode in every way, with a very good resolution, and "Dark Victory" is a hidden gem which, whilst without much real action, contains some of the show's sharpest dialogue of all-time (a personal favourite line is Niles' response to Roz's claim of being unable to "find herself" during college and hence sleeping with lots of men: "all you needed to do was look under the nearest man"). More great stuff.
  • Scrubs Season 1 Eps 1, 4, 22-24 [DVD] - 5/5 A rewatch of five of the best from season 1. "My Old Lady", ep 4, was just as moving as it was on my original viewing of it; the two-parter of eps 22-23 was even better than on first viewing with some excellent humour in there, and episodes 1 and 24 were perfect openings and closings to the season, especially the latter which really seemed to round things up ready for a clean slate in season 2. Very good.
  • The Xtra Factor [TV] - 4/5 - More fun stuff from the X Factor vault. Particularly enjoyed Cheryl, planning to be Miss Birmingham..
  • Malcolm In The Middle Season 3 "Cliques" [VHS] - 5/5 A fantastic episode packed to the brim with hilarious minor plots. I loved Reese's attendance of Sunday school ("Abstain, abstain, abstain!"), as ever the Francis subplot was very entertaining and Lois and Malcolm were at their very best. Would've liked more Hal but the Jesus-painting scene made up for that! One minor criticism I have is their overloading of subplots - there are about 5 - but it still works very well. A classic!
  • Malcolm In The Middle Season 5 "Dirty Magazine" [TV] - 4.5/5 Another great episode - very underrated at TV.com - with a fairly silly plot but enough jokes to make the episode work very well. I loved the final resolution, and as ever Hal and Lois were brilliant. Not enough Francis or Dewey, but when they were on screen, they was great. Very good episode.
  • Frasier Season 4 Eps 14, 15 [DVD] - 5/5 "To Kill A Talking Bird" is pure hilarity through and through, with the final scenes with the bird's quips among my favourite comedic moments of all-time. Frasier and Roz are at their best in "Roz's Krantz and Gouldenstein Are Dead" which also has a very good resolution and lots of fantastic Frasier lines. Both eps lacked much Martin, Daphne and Niles, which is a little annoying, but aside from that these are two wonderful examples of Frasier episodes. Great stuff.

  • 05 SEP '05

  • Scrubs Season 1 Eps 2, 3 [DVD] - 4.5/5 Two of the admittedly wesker episodes of the season still very enjoyable despite only having seen them for the first time a few days ago. Cox is not yet at his best, but JD and the janitor sure as hell are. "My Best Friend's Mistake" is slightly better than "My Mentor", in my opinion.
  • Frasier Season 2 Eps 9, 10 [DVD] - 5/5 Another two classic Frasiers! "Burying A Grudge", often overlooked, is filled with great jokes and features the excellent subplot of Maris having a facelift in the hospital. The idea of Martin meeting up with an old police friend who he fell out with is not particularly inventive but the script more than makes up for this minor shortcoming. "Seat Of Power" is another great which sees John C. McGinley in a great guest spot as one of two Kriesel brothers who taunted Frasier and Niles throughout high school and are now at Frasier's apartment as plumbers to fix his toilet. A lot of twists and good comebacks push this one up to the 5* level, despite the lack of Roz.
  • Friends Season 4 Eps 1, 2 [DVD] - 4.5/5 The conclusion to S3's cliffhanger was satisfying, as was the episode as a whole; whilst the jellyfish subplot bordered on stupid, the Ross and Rachel stuff made up for it. The following episode, The One With The Cat, was much better, with some great Phoebe and Joey, but ultimately these two are not among the peak of season 4.
  • 50 Greatest Comedy Moments 50-41 [TV] - 2/5 Poor choices, poorly presented, not enough US comedy or sitcoms. Typical channel Five fare, but worse than usual.. a waste of time. I gave up 20 minutes in.

  • 06 SEP '05

  • Frasier Season 1 "My Coffee With Niles" [DVD] - 5/5 Fantastic real-time episode, which whilst whilst lacking a real plot (it's entirely in the coffee house!) has some fantastic dialogue, visual gags and a touching end to a fantastic first season. I particularly loved Martin's pretending to be blind, Roz's dilemma and the fact there was plenty of Niles.
  • Malcolm In The Middle Season 3 "Monkey" [TV] - 4.5/5 Yet another great Malcolm with two very funny - if not altogether believable - plots. Reese was at his very finest in this episode, in the episode's main plot, and Craig's helper monkey story was also very good. The Francis and Piama story was interesting, perhaps serving to lead up to their position at the start of S4 but lacked much real humour. Could have done with more Lois too, though Hal's parts were great.
  • Watchdog [TV] - 4.5/5 Nice to this altogether enjoyable programme return. For those who don't know it's a consumer affairs programme that tracks down con men, companies with bad customer services, sites that don't supply goods, etc. I thought they were a bit unfair on Bulldog Broadband, but seeing as I haven't used them perhaps I shouldn't comment. Anyway, great to see it return.
  • Frasier Season 1 Eps 22-23 [DVD] - 5/5 Two all-time favourites here, as is standard for late S1. "Author, Author" is one of the greatest Frasier farce episodes of all-time with fantastic Frasier-Niles interaction and a wholly hilarious plotline. "Travels With Martin" has flawless direction and is executed perfectly, with some brilliant performances from every single regular cast member and a great outcome. Two of the earliest real Frasier classics.
  • Frasier Season 5 "Where Every Bloke Knows Your Name" [DVD] - 5/5 Another oustanding episode, among the best of S5. We get to see some great Daphne here, and the scenes in the pub are priceless. The plot isn't all that strong at some points, but a good ending, solid perfoemances and some fantastic scenes make up for that.. great.
  • part of 10 Years Younger, One Year On "Ep 4" [TV] - 3/5 Passed away 10 minutes. Mildly entertaining trash TV, interesting to see how laser eye surgery worked though.

  • 07 SEP '05

  • Frasier Season 5 "The Zoo Story [DVD] - 3.5/5 One of the weaker episodes of S5, but still holds its own and there's plenty of great Bebe. Still, an ultimately fairly silly story with not quite enough good jokes to reach "great" status. Good performances all around though, including from Frasier's new agent.
  • Scrubs Season 1 "My Two Dads" [DVD] - 4/5 Ultimately one the weakest from S1 (not very good at choosing today!) but still some good stuff from Dr Cox, Kelso and the ever-more-lovely Elliot. Lovely direction on the golf scenes, too.
  • The PJs Season 1 "The Door" [TV] - 4.5/5 My first viewing of this show in a while, and boy is it great and crying out for a DVD release! I noticed that Bravo were airing the show from the start last week, but I missed the first two episodes, disappointingly. However, I did remember to catch last night's, the third, and it was great, even better than I remembered the show. Thurgood Stubbs is a fantastic character, played very well by the talented Eddie Murphy, but he is just the bedrock of a wide away of hilarious supporting characters from Juicy (who wears a sign saying "Don't feed me" as he is so overweight) to Crackhead and the voodoo-loving Haiti Lady. The plot last night was good, paving the way for some great jokes, and Crackhead was at his funniest. I'll be watching tomorrow's episode for sure, though Friday brings the choice of the PJs or "The Green Green Grass", a new John Sullivan-penned Only Fools and Horses spinoff, so I may choose that instead.
  • Smarter Than Your Kids? One-off [TV] - 4.5/5 An interesting 90-minute documentary about parents who partake in their children's GCSE exams to discover if the compulsory exams, taken at age 16 in the UK, really have gotten easier in recent years as the tabloids would have you believe, or whether modern children are merely smarter than their parents. The conclusion was that exams are not getting easier: whilst one of the parents involved got 3 A*s out of 3, another got two ungraded and one E. The six parents on balance did fairly well, but when you consider three of the students featured got all As and A*s (on 10 or 11 exams as opposed to just three) you do have to question whether the tabloids are correct.. I'm sure they're not! (As an aside, Brooke and that Anerican girl were stunning..)

  • 08 SEP '05

  • Scrubs Season 1 "My Bad" [DVD] - 5/5 Yay, we're finally back into classic territory! The first episode featuring the fantastic character of Cox's ex-wife Jordan. The interaction between her, JD and Cox is priceless, and the subplots of Elliot and Turk respectively are great in their own right, too. The writing in this episode is very sharp, and there's some great music too ("Good Life"). And I love the ending too.. "Philosophy is tricky". No emotion this time around, but not every episode needs that, eh? Very good stuff.
  • Catchphrase [TV] - 4/5 Great classic TV quiz show. Wish Roy Walker still presented it, he was the best.
  • Scrubs Season 1 "My Super Ego" [DVD] - 5/5 Another rewatched classic.. Nick is a fantastic character on every level, and as ever, the ending is outstanding. Script-wise, this episode is unsurpassed. Direction-wise, we're great. And Zach Braff and co are on top form throughout. Awesome, awesome, awesome.
  • Rogue Traders [TV] - 4.5/5 More great pro-consumer televisual fun from the BBC. Some of these con merchants are shockingly unscrupulous..
  • Malcolm In The Middle Season 3 "Cliques" [VHS] - 5/5 [Rewatch] Little to add to Sunday's review - despite the slightly silly ending this is a classic episode.
  • Malcolm In The Middle Season 5 "Dirty Magazine" [VHS] - 4/5 [Rewatch] Slightly weaker than my first impressions gave me, this is still a solid 4* episode let down only by a few stupid lesbian jokes and a weak main story that may have been better as a subplot.
  • Bad Lads' Army Officer Class Ep 5 [TV] - 5/5 Last in the series, and a great finale to the series (despite Kendall not being chosen to be an officer - I really thought he deserved it). It was great to see them all meet their families again, and showed that even the chavs of Britain have a heart too. Private Page distrubed me though - a private they had barely focused on previously, suddenly revealing disturbing fetishes for lacy underwear and then refusing to partake in his passing out.. what the hell? Despite him, a very entertaining show.
  • Bad Lads' Army Privates Exposed Ep 5 [TV] - 5/5 More great stuff from Lord Brocket, he's fantastic. It's good to know there'll be a followup to the series next week too.

  • 09 SEP '05

  • Scrubs Season 1 "My Fifteen Minutes" [DVD] - 5/5 Another classic. The Elliot/Carla subplot is weak at some points, nowhere near as great as the fantastic Turk main plot ('Got an EKG, G?') but all ties together very well in the end. Another classic.
  • Scrubs Season 1 "My Day Off" [DVD] - 5/5 Yep, yet another classic episode of Scrubs here. An episode that combines three well-crafted plots perfectly. Cox and Elliot stand out in this episode, in which JD is relegated to being a ptient at the hospital after he comes down with appendicitis. The JD-Turk story was emotional and the Cox-Kelso battle was excellent. All-around great.
  • The Green Green Grass Ep 1 [TV] - 4/5 I was pleasantly surprised by this Only Fools and Horses spin-off. It's not as good as OFAH yet (although who knows what future weeks will bring), but it's still pretty good, and far better than I expected. Boycie is an excellent character and this show proves he can hold his own in his own show. Sullivan's script was very sharp throughout with lots of clever jokes despite a few silly pop culture references. It was great to Denzil pop up in a cameo role, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of the townspeople.. all in all, rather good.
  • Outtake TV [TV] - 3.5/5 Some fun stuff here, Anne Robinsons's jokes inbetween are pretty awful but thankfully the outtakes themselves are better. Generally entertaining stuff - there was nothing better on.
  • Friday Night With Jonathan Ross Series 9 "Jack Dee, Helen Mirren, Joan Rivers" [TV] - 4.5/5 Great to see this show back on TV, I always look forward to it on Friday nights from 10:35 till 11:35 before I go to sleep. Jonathan Ross was on top form in this episode thankfully, with some great inbetweens such as the BBC presenters guide from 1949, and the "Three Poofs and a Piano" were also great. Jack Dee wasn't as humourous as I expected him to be, but he was still entertaining and a great foil to Ross, whereas Helen Mirren was very funny and willing to get into the spirit of things. Joan Rivers was also good, apparently she's not afraid to poke fun at herself! All in all, good stuff.

  • 10 SEP '05

  • My Family Series 3 "Absent Vixen, Cheeky Monkey" [DVD] - 4/5 Kicking off series 3 is one of the weaker episodes of the thirteen included, but still an entertaining 30 minutes. Ben is not at his best in this episode, which is unfortunate, and the plot is at times a bit ridiculous, but despite that this was a good episode with some great Nick and Janey (shame she leaves in this one).
  • My Family Series 3 "Shrink Rap" [DVD] - 5/5 Yay, one of the stronger episodes! The school auction provided many of the best laughs of the episode, mostly from the ex-patient with bad breath and Ben's attempts to shy away from him. The scenes in the psychiatrist's were outstanding, with great direction, acting and impeccable writing, and despite the lack of Nick and Janey this was a brilliant episode.
  • My Family Series 3 Eps 3-7 [DVD] - 4.5/5 Five more classic episodes, finishing off disc 1 of the two-disc set. The Second Greatest Story Ever Told is among the series' best with excellent plots for all of the characters, particularly for Susan and Nick in the play - this is possibly Nick's best episode, in fact, and considering he's my favourite character that's no small feat. The other four episodes run the gamut from average ('Desperately Squeaking Susan') to good ('Imperfect Strangers', with some fantastic Ben) to great ('Waiting To Inhale', the funniest drugs-related halfhour since The Simpsons' 'Weekend At Burnsie's' with utterly brilliant Ben and Susan). The scripts are generally sharp, Robert Lindsay is outstanding as Ben, and whilst we see less of Janey and Nick and more of Abi this series (not a good thing) and Michael is getting older (also not very good) this series still manages to hold its own very well. Next series things really start going downhill though.. I'm not sure whether to bother buying series 4 and beyond if/when they come out.
  • ITV's 50 Greatest Shows [TV] - 3/5 Note for the uneducated: ITV is Britain's main commercial TV broadcaster and is celebrating its' 50th anniversary right now. Anyhoo, this show was pretty much what I expected it to be: mildly interesting, with far too many useless talking heads, poor presenter gags and terrible modern shows high up to be worthy of any real value. The #1 was spot-on, as you'd hope -- Coronoation Street -- but #2 Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway? You'd think ITV has produced better shows than that in the past 50 years.. though admittedly looking down the list, it doesn't look that way. The lack of comedy was disappointing, but then ITV have never been really strong on comedy with the exception of Rising Damp. Their major gameshows - Catchphrase, Family Fortunes - were too low, though WWTBAM? was fairly placed at #7. A Touch Of Frost, Midsomer Murders and Emmerdale were all fair play for the top 10 -- but I'm A Celebrity..! at #6? What were you thinking, public? All in all, no worse than I expected, but when you expect so little, things aren't doing so well.

  • 11 SEP '05

  • My Family Series 3 Eps 8-10 [DVD] - 4.5/5 Three more episodes from the latest set as we draw gradually nearer to the series 3 closer. "Misery" is a personal favourite of mine, with some great references to the Stephen King chiller throughout longside a great supporting character in the form of the old golfer. "Auto Erotica" is also very good, some great stuff goes on in the garage and Nick is excellent, but "A Handful Of Dust" is significantly weaker with far fewer decent jokes than a comedy series should have. All in all, a good 90 minutes.
  • My Family Series 3 Eps 11-13 [DVD] - 4.5/5 Drawing the series to a close are three more episodes, one of which ("Lost Weekend") rather misses the mark in the area of real-time (or nigh-on) hilarity (see Frasier's "My Coffee With Niles" for a more shining example), one of which ("Ghosts") features a forgettable plot amongst some very good jokes, and the last of which ("One Flew Out Of The Cuckoo's Nest") is another all-around series classic. OFOOTCN is a fitting finale to series 3, and the last episode for a while that really features Nick as a main character unfortunately, but thankfully it's great - and the ending scenes, whilst arguably predictable, are very damn funny. Ben is at his cynical best in both OFOOTCN and "Lost Weekend", the latter of which which whilst intermittently funny lacks any real comprehensible plot. "Ghosts" is forgettable, mainly due to overuse of Abi, but regardless the three have a very good average of 4.5/5.
  • The X Factor [TV] - 4/5
  • The Xtra Factor [TV] - 4/5 More fun stuff from the audition vaults; more sharp putdowns from Simon Cowell. Entertaining all around once again, I particularly enjoyed Simon's reaction to the supermodel, the semi-crazy "48-year-old" (yeah, right) high-pitched singing lady, the old-fashioned brother and sister duo, the very good group of three middle-aged men who had written their own song aimed at the judges, and the lovely 16-yer-old girl that Sharon cuddled after saying "no" to her. The ending montages of The Xtra Factor are getting a bit boring now, though..
  • Malcolm In The Middle Season 5 "Hot Tub" [TV] - 4.5/5 Another good episode with three good standalone plots. Not necessarily the funniest episode, but as ever the Francis/Otto/Gretchen plot worked very well; Reese was very good as an adversary for Noah; Dewey, whilst playing a relative bit part, was excellent; and Malcolm's plot with Jamie's babysitter was interesting and engging if not particularly funny - Danny was at times disturbing! Bizzarely, the plot that gives the title its name - Hal's hot tub, which Lois is annoyed he bought - is the smallest plot of all, but it's sill good. Overall, good performances, good direction and good plot, despite not being quite as funny as possible.

  • 12 SEP '05

  • Scrubs Season 1 Eps 10, 11 [DVD] - 5/5 Two more classics. "The Nickname" features the Janitor at his worrying best, whereas "My Own Personal Jesus" is a shining moment for Turk with some very nice, deep, emotional and funny plots. Great stuff. Shame neither episode features Dr. Cox in a more major role, but this is a minor quibble: both of these episodes are flawalessly written and acted.
  • Quiz TV [TV] - 3/5 A rather slow-moving channel that focuses on viewers calling u to solve lateral thinking problems. My problem with this is that each puzzle has many, many possible answers and as they never reveal their logic things can get boring, especially as they often have the same puzzle on screen for hours at a time until someone calls in. May be worth tuning into if you think you have a chance with the puzzles (anywhere between £100 and £4000 cash is up for grabs), but bear in mind: they're very vague. One of the presenters, Suzanne, is rather nice though..
  • Scrubs Season 1 Eps 12-14 [DVD] - 5/5 Another triple bill of classics. "My Blind Date" and "My Balacing Act" nicely tie in together, and "My Drug Buddy" has a very nice, moving plot, and plenty of great Dr Cox too. Neil Flynn is also at his peak as the janitor in these three, and JD is as sharp as ever.

  • 13 SEP '05

  • Scrubs Season 1 Eps 15-18 [DVD] - 5/5 Four more greats. The extended "My Bed Banter And Beyond" works even better on second viewing, juxtaposing "a few days ago" and "a few days later" very well, and it's great to see JD and Elliot get together, for however short a time. "My Heavy Meddle" is one of those episodes that doesn't have that strong a plot, but thankfully makes up for it in the humour department - lots of great stuff from both JD and Cox. "My Student" is another excellent episode, with a great one-time character in the form of JD's student, and "My Tuscaloosa Heart" reveals a good side that it's nice to know Kelso has. All in all, good stuff!
  • Watchdog [TV] - 4/5 As ever, interesting consumer stuff.. funny to see Quiz TV mentioned on there, hehe. Didn't watch much today, or yesterday.. must make up for it tomorrow.

  • 14 SEP '05

  • Scrubs Season 1 "My Old Man" [DVD] - 5/5 Yet another classic! John Ritter truly makes this episode, one of the most sharply scripted of the season, with his spot-on perfermance as JD's dad. This episode's Turk and Carla plot is great, and the little we see of Elliot's parents is also very funny. This is also one of Kelso's strongest episodes, despite a slightly weaker Cox/Jordan plot.. overall, excellent.
  • Frasier Season 6 "Good Grief" [DVD] - 4/5 (spoilers throughout episode reviews) Kicking off my season 6 set is an unusually weak episode, and does not bode well for the remainder of the season. It continues the cliffhanger from season 5 where Frasier is left without a job and sees him go through the five stages of grief, which whilst as standalones are pretty funny, lack any real coherent plot to tie them together. Too bad - but this is still a funny episode.
  • Frasier Season 6 "Frasier's Curse" [DVD] - 4/5 Another fairly weak (for Frasier) episode sees Frasier believing he is cursed after a particularly long run of bad luck. Again, the plot lets this one down - most of the jokes are funny, though by the end some oneliners start to feel forced - it really isn't that intelligent a story. Shame.
  • Frasier Season 6 "Dial M For Martin" [DVD] - 5/5 Woo-hoo, we're back into classic territory with an fantastic episode with plenty of fracical humour in this episode about Daphne and Niles moving in Frasier. I particularly love the scenes where Niles is supposedly subconsciously trying to hurt Martin (after Martin falls: "Oh, thank GOD! ...We're all here to help him..") Very strong episode, possibly one for an all-time top 30.
  • Frasier Season 6 "Hot Ticket" [DVD] - 5/5 Another standout episode, mostly based outside of a theatre, sees Niles and Frasier attempt to see a play without having tickets, and later trying to discuss with the star having only heard Martin's poorly-reconstructed review from the newspaper. A very strong script, with an excellent subplot involving Daphne; this is pretty much how Frasier should always be. Another great.
  • Frasier Season 6 "First, Do Me No Harm" [DVD] - 4.5/5 Slightly weaker episode this time around, but still very good. This episode sees Teri Hatcher in a guest role as Frasier's neortic new partner whom Frasier is convinced is just using him for his psychiatric abailities. Some fantastic Frasier and Roz make this episode above average but unfortunately the story is not quite strong enough to make this a 5/5.
  • Frasier Season 6 "Secret Admirer" [DVD] - 5/5 Another 5/5 episode sees Frasier try to balance his new girlfriend with the discovery of who his new secret admirer might possibly be. I won't spoil the remainder of the plot, but suffice to say it brings some great Niles and Martin into the picture. My only qualm is a relatively small amount of Daphne, but this is still a classic with a great outcome.
  • Frasier Season 6 "How To Bury A Millionaire" [DVD] - 5/5 Yet another great as we see Niles come to terms with having to move out of his lavish apartment throughout divorce settlements with Maris. Niles is perfect in this episode, balacing snobbery and despair excellently, and this is a great episode for Martin and Frasier too. Sharp and just the right amount of emotion.. perfect.
  • Frasier Season 6 "The Seal Who Came To Dinner" [DVD] - 4/5 Surely the weakest Joe Keenan epsiode of the show yet, this farce based episode leads us up to what we hope will be a stunning final five minutes.. and lets us down dramatically. A shame. The show is funny - what episode of Frasier isn't? - but the ending is simply not as strong as an episode such as this should be, and the ending
    Spoiler: Highlight to view
    with the police
    is bordering ridiculous instead of being hilariously over the top. Not a bad episode, but a letdown - even Niles isn't at his best.

  • 15 SEP '05

  • Frasier Season 6 "Roz, A Loan" [DVD] - 4.5/5 A very good episode which sees Roz at her best: despite weaker subplots than is standard (Niles and Martin at the spa) this episode has some excellent scenes, notably in the cafe and when Frasier learns he has got his job at KACL back (yay!). Great, let down a little by a few weaker points, although it's very nice to see a primarily Roz-focused episode no matter what the quality!
  • Frasier Season 6 "Merry Christmas, Mrs Moskowitz" [DVD] - 4/5 Rarely have I been more disappointed by a Christmas episode of a show. This episode, whilst combining Christmas and frace very well for around 3/4 of the show, ends awfully in a joke-lacking over-serious scene between Frasier and Martin that is among the series all-time weak points. This plot had promise, and throughout most of the episodes great jokes come thick and fast - and Frasier is characterised very well - but the final five minutes (who on *Earth* wrote them?!) are proof that Frasier is by this point in no way the show it once was.
  • Frasier Season 6 "The Good Samaritan" [DVD] - 5/5 And then this episode comes along and contradicts that theory! A very funny episode that allows us to see Frasier in a different light with a fully satisfying twist and conclusion. The scenes with Frederick were particularly good and the episode was flawless. This could easily have come from, say, season 2.. spot-on.
  • Frasier Season 6 "Our Parents, Ourselves" [DVD] - 4/5 A slightly weaker episode, with some great Roz throughout but unfortuantely a rather weak plot that didn't have half as many funny moments as you may have hoped. The plot was originally quite promising, but the writers didn't take the farce as far as they could have and we end with a disjointed episode that lacks a coherent resolution. Despite a few great lines, this is fairly poor Frasier.
  • Frasier Season 6 "The Show Where Woody Shows Up" [DVD] - 3.5/5 I'm not a fan of the episodes featuring Cheers cast members in general, but this was particularly weak with a poor storyline and far from enough jokes. Possibly the weakest episode of Frasier yet despite the recollections of the karako bar scene Frasier described.
  • Frasier Season 6 "Three Valentines" [DVD] - 4/5 A unique episode in the style of The Simpsons "Trilogy Of Error" and Halloween specials, this sees Niles, Frasier and Martin & Daphne respectively engage in their own Valentine's Night events. Things begin perfectly with a fantastic slapstick near-silent act as we see Niles attempt to make sure the night is planned perfectly, including amongst other things seetting the sofa on fire, but things take a turn for the worse with the overlong Frasier plot, which whilst funny to start with, is just frustrating by the end - you start to get sick of the "does she want to sleep with him? doesn't she?" jokes, though the Roz input is good. The final segment is also the shortest, and features Martin and Daphne on a night out to celebrate being single. Not a bad segment, but without any fantastic jokes it's hard to give the segment more than 4/5, bringing the average for this episode down to 4/5. Shame.. this could have been a lot better.
  • Dispatches: Shoplifters [TV] - 4.5/5 An interesting insight into the lives of shoplifetrs including how they get away with what they do, why they partake in a life of crime and what further security measures are planned for the future to try and eliminate shoplifters.
  • Bad Lads Army: Privates Discharged [TV] - 4/5 A fairly good follow-up with some great Lord Brocket, though why they chose to focus on the few bad lads that they did confused me, I must admit. Still, good entertainment and it's good to see that some of them have turned their lives around.. shame others haven't though..

  • 16 SEP '05

  • Frasier Season 6 "To Tell The Truth" [DVD] - 5/5 Ah, finally another 5* classic. Donny is a truly outstanding character and he was used to great effect. Both Frasier and Niles are at their very peak, and a sharp script with a very cleverly crafted story is the icing on this very delicious cake.. one to consider for top 30 inclusion, for sure. And who can forget "Maris is going to have her urinal cake and eat it too!" Top marks all around.
  • Frasier Season 6 "Decoys" [DVD] - 4/5 A "Ski Lodge"-esque episode without as much great humour, this farce-based episode sees Niles attempt to split the newly-romancing Daphne and Donny up, but in doing so a web of lies, confusion and indeed hiding is spun as the gang spend time as Maris' beach house without knowing several of the others are there. Clever, but not as funny as it should have been, this episode had great potential but despite the excelent Roz-Niles scenes isn't as good as it should have been.
  • Frasier Season 6 "Dinner Party" [DVD] - 4.5/5 A great episode that has a very good plot and some of the sharpest lines in season 6 (such as Frasier's list of the guests: "A third rate caterer with a record, two lushes, a couple who think we're nutcases, an Argentinian wild child and Roz. Dinner is served(!)") An amusing subplot featuring Daphane and Roz complements the main plot which has a fitting resolution and some great performances from Grammer and Hyde Pierce.
  • Frasier Season 6 "Taps At The Montana" [DVD] - 5/5 A "To Kill A Talking Bird"-esque episode that showcases dark humour at its finest. The scenes where Frasier
    Spoiler: Highlight to view
    tries to hide the man who dies in the game of murderer
    are hilarious, and no jokes fall flat. Grammer is again outstanding, and the Martin subplot is great.
  • The Green Green Grass Episode 2 [TV] - 4/5 An episode roughly on par with last week's episode, which whilst featuring a fair few good jokes and some great stuff from Boycie and Marlene relies too much on tired country stereotypes. A funny idea for a plot drags this one up out from the 3.5/5 grade, but I'm still hoping for improvements over the coming weeks..
  • Friday Night With Jonathan Ross Series 9 "Gerard Depardieu, Kanye West, Alan Whicker, Franz Ferdinand" [TV] - 5/5 A very strong episode, that despite not featuring the guests who I thought I would find most interesting, actually turned out to be one of the funniest epsiodes in a while. Kanye West was surprisingly interesting and really got into the show, Depardieu was oustanding and his jabs at the BBC were hilarious, and Whicker added a more serious side to a great episode. Ross himself was on top form once again, and Franz Ferdinand closed the show with an OK new single - but I'm not to critique music.. An episode I was pleasantly surprised by.

  • 17 SEP '05

  • Tucker Season 1 "Big Putts" [PC] - 4/5 One of the weaker episodes of the show but still funny, with Lohman and Green playing their parts particularly well. Leon and Kenickie were very good in this episode, and the way all of the plots tied in was well-done. I also like the subplot with Tucker's mum and Seth Green's dad. Good episode, not as funny as it could have been.
  • Tucker Season 1 "Signed, Sealed & Delivered" [PC] - 5/5 A classic that combines emotion and humour flawlessly. A good episode for Tucker and Mckenna, this contains many funny moments and I particularly enjoyed the scenes of Tucker out with Mckenna, and the plot of Leon being delayed in partaking in Tucker's plot due to his parents believe he cheated in his exam (a belief cleverly resolved later in the episode). One of my favourites.
  • The X Factor [TV] - 4.5/5 Again, more entertaining stuff. The Elvis impersonators were hilarious. Felt sorry for the group forced to split up, but I'm siding with Cowell.. his decision was right. The black female who brought her daughter amazed me too, very powerful voice. Just the right combination of humour and good talent this episode., good stuff. Missed The Xtra Factor, I'll catch Sunday's repeat.
  • Frasier Season 5 "Sweet Dreams" [DVD] - 4/5 A weak end to season 5,w hich whilst leading us into S6's main plot arc is starngely devoid of any significant laugh-out-loud moments. The plot is good, but the noticeable lack of humour - probably the first time a Frasier episode had such a problem - really took away from it. Good, but not great.
  • Frasier Season 6 "IQ" [DVD] - 5/5 A very interesting episode that works on many levels: farce (the scene at the restaurant), character based humour (at the auction) and sharp wit (the scenes where Niles & Frasier discover their IQs). Great performances, sharp script and funny story = classic episode.
  • Frasier Season 6 "Dr Nora" [DVD] - 4/5 An overrated episode that whilst enjoyable features a character (Dr Nora) that is impossible to like on any level, making this episode a little uncomfortable to sit through. Niles' subplot was excellent, but the main plot annoyed me more than entertained me. Acceptable for Frasier, but far from great.
  • Frasier Season 6 "Good Grief" [DVD] - 4/5 Rewatch: Didn't really improve upon second viewing, but had more jokes than I remembered. The five stages of grief were handled well. Good stuff.
  • Frasier Season 6 "Dial M For Martin" [DVD] - 5/5 Rewatch: Remains a classic, this time even more than the first viewing. Wall-to-wall laughter with a plot that lends itself to so many excellent sitautions. The definition of situation comedy, the peak of season 6 -- out and out hilarity. DHP is truly commendable, as are the remainder of the cast.
  • Frasier Season 6 "Hot Ticket" [DVD] - 5/5 Rewatch: Also remains a very strong episode upon repeat viewing. Sharp humour, and deserves 5/5 purely for Niles' attempts to smoke a cigarette! Excellent.

  • 18 SEP '05

  • Frasier Season 6 "When A Man Loves Two Women" [DVD] - 4.5/5 An interesting episode. The scenes at the house in the morning - both those with Daphne, Eddie and Martin, and Frasier and partners - were outstanding, with some of the sharpest Frasier comedy in a fair few episodes, but unfortunately in the last act things took a turn for the unfunny: despite wrapping the story up in a good fashion, jokes were lacking. This gets a 4.5 purely on the basis of the first 2/3, but it's a shame the comedy pace couldn't have been maintained for the last 7 minutes.
  • Frasier Season 6 "Visions Of Daphne" [DVD] - 4/5 A weaker episode, that whilst offering some great Niles/Daphne relationship scenes on the drama and emotion front - DHP is very convincing as the heartbroken Niles - doesn't quite reach the top quality humour other episodes too.Thhis epsiode was essential for the show, to bridge plots, I admit, and the emotion worked well, but the script was not quite tip-top.
  • Frasier Season 6 "Shutout In Seattle Pts 1+2" [DVD] - 5/5 A great end to an ultimately uneven season (roughly on par with season 3 I guess). It's nice how the three Crane men's relationships tie in together at the end, and as ever it's nice to leave a season on a nice emotional front. Niles' relationship was frankly hilarious, and whilst jokes weren't fothcoming consistently throughout this episode for the most part things were very funny and the acting from all of the regulars was superb. Another episode verging on 'classic'.
  • Frasier Season 6 "How To Bury A Millionaire" [DVD] - 5/5 Rewatch: Still great, combining drama and emotion with the humourous side of things very well, particularly in his new apartment (I love Niles' line about the ironing board: "are you sure it's not the guest room?") Great DHP, KG and JM and the darker side of Frasier that showed up in S6 is at its peak in this episode. Classic.
  • Frasier Season 6 "The Seal Who Came To Dinner" [DVD] - 4/5 Rewatch: Perhaps slightly better on second viewing, but still suffers from an overly silly plot that the farcical side of things does not make up for. There are some great lines and scenes amongst the episode but it's ultimately underwhelming.
  • Malcolm In The Middle Season 5 "Ida's Boyfriend" [TV] - 4.5/5 A surprisingly good episode that sees a series of great comedy subplots all tie in together well. The ending twist is rather clever, it's always great to see Ida and her fiancee was perfect, and Reese, Malcolm and Francis' subplots respectively were all excellent. The show wasn't hilariously funny all through, but parts were very humourous and this deserves a high rating.
  • Zippy & George's Puppet Legends [VHS] - 4.5/5 A decent addition to the Favouritism series, this sees Zippy and George count down their top 10 puppets. I agreed with most of the choices - Orville, Roland Rat, Sooty, Thatcher from Spitting Image, Emu, Kermit (at #1) and Zippy & George themselves - and most of the dialogue was very funny without being too crude. The clips were also very entertaining, and I loved the interviews with Orville and Sooty. A good way to spend 45-minutes and one of my faves in the Favouritism series so far.
  • The Xtra Factor [TV] - 4/5 A good companion to X Factor once again, offering some good backstage insight. My only criticism would be that there wasn't enough of the "this or that?" questioning of the judges and presenters - but otherwise, this was standard fare: rather good.

  • 19 SEP '05

  • Scrubs Season 1 "My Way Or The Highway" - 5/5 A great episode that has three very strong plots (JD and Turk's argument over competition, Elliot's asking out of a patient, Cox annoying Kelso reulting in nurses being fired) and some of the most memorable scenes of the season (the West Side Story parody being just one). This is certainly one of the stronger episodes of S1 with barely a dull moment, and JD and Cox are once again particularly strong. Loved the ending too. Great!
  • Scrubs Season 1 "My Sacrificial Clam" - 4.5/5 Ending my repeat viewing of S1 (I already rewatched eps 22-24) is this relatively average episode thatranks among the weakest of S1, but still has some great moments. The Cox and Turk subplot felt forced, and the main plot of JD worrying about contracting hep. B wasn't as strong as it could have been, but we still had some great lines from him, as well as the janitor and Elliot. Now to finally start season 2..
  • Scrubs Season 2 "My Overkill" [DVD] - 5/5A tip-top start to S2 that features every single character at their very best. I like how this episode 'continued' from the last episode of S1, and a lot of loose ends were tied up amongst a very sharp script. Great! Not big on the (temporary) new extended theme though..
  • Scrubs Season 2 "My Nightingale" [DVD] - 5/5 Holy smokes, Wezzo has a new favourite episode! This episode is perfect in every manner possible. The script is A*** grade - from the Blanks' hilarious performances of the Charles In Charge and Facts Of Life theme tunes, to the outstanding Dr Cox and Jordan plotline continuation, to every excellent scene with JD, Turk and Elliot on the night shift. Not one criticism of this episode, not one - outstanding.
  • Scrubs Season 2 "My Case Study" [DVD] - 5/5 Fantastic Cox/Kelso rivalries in this episode, with great acting from all around. Excellent plot and the scenes with Kelso dancing around are pure hilarity down to a T.. great.
  • Scrubs Season 2 "My Big Mouth" [DVD] - 5/5 A great episode for Carla, once again the show scores 5/5 thanks to excellent characterisation and a great plot. Cox is at his finest, too.
  • Scrubs Season 2 "My New Coat" [DVD] - 5/5 Yet more great laughs in Neil Flynn's finest performance yet. Strong script, great dream sequences, top stuff once again!
  • Scrubs Season 2 "My Big Brother" [DVD] - 5/5 Rounding out disc 1 - a disc with constant 5/5s! - is this excellent episode in which we meet JD's big brother for the first time. He's a great character, the perfect foil for JD, and the interactions between the two are priceless. Cox is great once again, and this has a great ending too (as I have grown accustomed to with Scrubs). This certainly bodes well for S2 bceoming my favourite season..
  • Wife Swap Series 4 Ep 1 [TV] - 3.5/5 A typical Wife Swap outing seeing two completely different wives swap positions for 10 days and attempt to get used to their new lifestyle. This is far better than the US version, but not quite up to the standard of past UK episodes, though there were still some good moments (the fight between the cannabis-smoking father and the farmer lady was amusing). An alright way to pass the time, entertaining though hardly engaging.. still, that's more than I can say for..
  • Wife Swap - The Aftermath [TV] - 2/5 Poor attempt to fill 1/2 and hour and continue the 'spin-off' tradition. An alright idea, poorly executed with little to no entertainment value. Even the participants added little insight. Won't be bothering with this next week!

  • 20 SEP '05

  • Frasier Season 6 "Frasier's Curse" [DVD] - 4/5 An OK episode that sees an able cast do the best they can with a pretty poor plot and script. Laughs are far from plentiful, and the whole story seems rather dark and indeed out-of-character for Frasier. Still entertaining TV, but not enough so for Frasier.
  • Frasier Season 6 "First, Do Me No Harm" [DVD] - 4.5/5 Rewatch: Teri Hatcher ably plays the slightly annoying new partner of Frasier. Great Roz and Frasier, as I previously stated, but not enough good scenes to elevate this to classic status. Still great though.
Author Comments: 

nb. I've decided as of 14 September to start reviewing episodes separately - where I have time - instead of lumping them together if I've watched a few in a row without updating

Current DVD to-watch list:

First time:
Scrubs Season 2 Eps 7-24 + extras
Big Fish with commentary
Bruce Almighty with commentary
White Oleander with commentary
Dumb & Dumber

Repeat viewing:
Friends Season 4 Eps 3-24
Frasier Season 6 Eps 6, 9-24
Home Improvement Season 1
Frasier Seasons 1, 4 and 5
Seinfeld Seasons 1 to 4
3rd Rock From The Sun Seasons 1 to 6
The Waltons Seasons 1 to 2
Matchstick Men
White Oleander
Big Fish
The Truman Show
Tucker (all) [computer]
Two Of A Kind (all) [VHS]

Rushmore08/31/2005

this looks good, can't wait to read some of these. Can't wait for your scrubs review tomorrow, plus, you've never seen dumb and dumber before? man, you are in for a treat. get ready to laugh, alot. uh, and you call yourself a carrey fan! :-)

Wezzo08/31/2005

Glad you like the list! :) I thought you may be waiting for the Scrubs review.. :)

No, I haven't seen D&D yet, surprising as I really like Carrey. Still, I've heard good things so I'll definitely try to cram it in tomorrow amongst more Scrubs and Friends!

Wezzo09/01/2005

Hope you're pleased with my thoughts on Scrubs ;)

Rushmore09/01/2005

Yay!! Wezzo likes Scrubs, hehe. I'm really glad you enjoyed it, you hit some great points in your review. I'm glad you like the morals, as some people find them annoying, i don't, but some do. nice comments on "My Old Lady", that really is outstanding episode. "My Old lady2 was the first episode to really combine everything that scrubs is about and is too this day right up there with the best of the best. I agree with your comments on the cast and how they work together. If Dr. Cox is your favourite you'll love season 2. It really goes into why Dr.cox is so cynical, it goes more into his relationship with his wife, and it has some hilarious moments with JD when he thinks he's got enough confidence to stand up to cox, just hilarious. Some episodes still to come in Season 1 you will ike are "My Own Personal Jesus" Which includes a great story where Cox asks JD too tape a birth. "My Bed Banter And Beyond" is also very good. Oh and the last 3 are brilliant as they all kind of tie in. Anyway glad you enjoyed, hope you continue to enjoy..THE GREATEST SHOW EVER!

Oh you said you've seen 7 episodes of season one, so if i'm right you've seen "My Super Ego" where the new hot shot doctor comes in and steals JD's thunder. Kelso: " Someone tell me what this Patient's rash is, you have untill i finish my squeezey juice" lol i love that bit. Oh and whats your opinon on the minor characters like The Todd, or Ted.

Wezzo09/01/2005

Glad you enjoyed my review! My Old Lady is definitely my favourite so far, and I actually even showed it to my parents who also liked it, so it *must* be good ;)

Dr. Cox is my favourite, I'm certainly pleased to hear there's plenty more of him to come! Looking forward to season 2 already..! The banter between him and JD is really top-notch, one of the best sitcom dynamics I've seen, up there with Frasier and Niles; and Francis and Lois in MITM.

I'm sure I will continue to enjoy (quote)THE GREATEST SHOW EVER!(enquote) :-D

Yeah, "My Super Ego" is another fantastic episode (my 2nd fave so far I think), and that bit is really great. Thinking about it, I'd list Kelso among my faves too. And Elliot.. and Turk, and Carla.. haha. And of course, the minor characters like "the" Todd are excellent too. Great in the small doses they come in.

Just settling down to watch episode 8 now.. :)

Rushmore09/02/2005

hi again wezzo. Hey, i've left a response HERE for you.

Wezzo09/02/2005

Hey hey, replied too. :)

Rushmore09/03/2005

So, Scrubs Scored big overall then? hehe. Oh about the extras, theres some gems in there "Newbies" is a great featurette. The best commentaries are: Bill Lawerence on "My First Day" / Bill and Neil Flynn on "My Fifteen Minutes" and Bill Sam (Ted) and Robert (Todd) on one of the last ones, think it's the clam one. The outakes are very very funny. I'm really happy you enjoyed Scrubs: Season 1.

Oh, my pre-order now Says "Order Taken" and i checked another copy of it, and it says "In Stock" for Season 2!!! a whole 10 days before release, what you choose to do with that information is up to you ;)

Wezzo09/03/2005

10 days before release? That's great, good ol' play.com waste no time in shipping their stock! :)

Yep, Scrubs scored very big overal. A brilliant first season. I can't commend it highly enough, it's up there with Malcolm In The Middle as the best post-2000 sitcom easily.

I'm looking forward to the bonuses and commentaries, I'm about to start them now! Thanks for telling me which commentaries are best, though I'm sure I'll watch them all anyway!

Anyway, thanks again for (practically) forcing me into buying it.. the best (nearly) blind TV show buy I've had in a while.

Rushmore09/07/2005

yo Wezzo. Is it ok if i clone this list? i won't if you don't want me to because this is so cool and original, but i really want to do one too! spew my guts on TV shows i like or hate! May i clone? :@)

Wezzo09/07/2005

What kind of member would I be if I said no? :-D Of course you can. I'd love to read your thoughts on TV shows daily.

But of course, this is not really unique to me - it's based on AJDaGreat and the like who also have viewing logs, though mostly of movies - I just figured I'd focus much more on TV!

Also, my Frasier S6 and My Family S3 just shipped, yay! :D

Rushmore09/07/2005

Yay Frasier Season 6!! I'm Really getting back into frasier, i've yet to get season 5, so i'll have to catch up.

4.5 and 4 for scrubs..is the first reaction to scrubs wearing off. I liked "My 2 Dads" I love the scene where Kelso looks at JD's tag and he has taken turks, the moment where he couldn't get his name right "uh sir thats the maker of the clipboard" , oh the Ass box story of course, oh and "I assume this is want you wanted" "Yes.". I hope Season 2 is still on your hit list though it's a very strong season.

Wezzo09/07/2005

Season 2? I ordered it yesterday, it's processing now... There was never any question I wouldn't get it! :D

I wouldn't say it's wearing off, but rather that they are in my opinion among the weaker episodes. It's still my current favourite show, so no problems there. I think it improves towards the end (well, about episode 8) of S1 anyway, so the best is yet to come! Well, the rewatches are yet to come anyway. :D

Is season 2 better than season 1? (If it is, move over Simpsons S6, Friends S2, Frasier S2 and King Of The Hill S3.. we may just have a new all-time great season of a show!)

You must get Frasier S5, btw. Slightly weaker than 1, 2 and 4 but still has loads of absolute classics.

Rushmore09/07/2005

AArrrgggg! i had it on pre-order about 1 week ago and then i thought "hhmm maybe i'll check its in stock" so i clicked on another copy and it said "In Stock" so i freaked out that mine hadn't done anything yet, CANCELLED IT! and ordered it again fresh, probably delaying it and only today it has changed status! lol you'll get it b4 me now because i'll be on holiday. :-) thats my tale of woe.

Cool, i agree my Mentor is very weak. though i do like "How can you leave a place with so much warmth, i like the photos of your friends and family" -Cut ot bare photo frames- that one cracks me up everytime.

Well for story and general character work, Season 2 is better. most fans say it's the best, personally i think season 4 is the best, but season 2 is the most solid, story and direction wise.

Yeah i should get Frasier s5, i will, i really want to see more.

Wezzo09/07/2005

Lol. Ah well, funny how life - and Play.com - works sometimes, but hey, you'll be on holiday, probably not even thinking about Scrubs (well, maybe a little, knowing you, ha) and I'll be at school every day!

Yeah, that bit of "My Mentor" is very good, the best part.

Season 2 and 4 then, eh? Well, either way, plenty to look forward to!

Wezzo09/07/2005

Also, how much do you agree with My Frasier top episodes list? I finally got around to doing it yesterday. :)

Rushmore09/19/2005

So Wezzo, shall i skip 6th season of frasier and go straight to 7th? :-)

Ps: Ouch My Sacrificial Clam gets 4.5 but review contains words like "weakest" and "Average" getting tougher on reviews eh?

Wezzo09/20/2005

Hm.. skip S6.. nah! I personally think you'll prefer it to S3 even though I didn't, and there are a fair few classics in there that'll make it worth the money. Down to you, perhaps you should see what you think of S5 first...

Think of it as more being Scrubs having very high standards than getting tougher! *g* If anything it's a compliment to Scrubs that an episode with 4.5/5 is the among the weakest of the season!