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Long overdue update

Well, this is the second time I'm writing this blog, as IE crashed earlier, and I'd already inserted loads of links Oh well... I'll try it again in installments

The reason I;ve not blogged in quite some time is that my life is boring: work, Internet, sleep, and work again. Somehow, between all the excitement, I did manage to get a new guide.

That's right, Pride and Prejudice, the 1995 mini series, not the 2005 movie with Keira After Lin mentioned someone retiring from guides, I came across this one. A kind and gracious fellow tv.commer didn't want to compete so I gained the guide, a true gentleman!

The two main tv shows I'm watching over the summer period are My Boys and Weeds though I've also started watching Flashpoint and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. I did buy and watched Galactica 1980

I've watched soooo many movies though, that I dare not post the entire list, which includes 5 St Trininan's movies I've reviewed most of them here but I will post a small list

Son of Rambow

Forbidden Kingdom

1408

Speed Racer

27 Dresses, 88 Minutes and The Sundowners (the one with Robert Mitchum, Peter Ustinov and Deborah Kerr, the one that is not on movietome,com )

I have to single out this one, which in my opinion is a masterpiece:

Almost Famous Such a great movie !!

Level 52 - 80 % - 8379 subs - 18376 profile views

Posted by expatriot, 07/23/2008 9:26am  8 Comments
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Surprise new editorship

Even though I always enjoy becoming an editor, this time it feels less enjoyable.

I got the "you've become an editor" PM and thought: "What the....." and then I noticed it was for The O.C.

After sending Ross, whose TU I was, a PM it turns out his retirement wasn't voluntary. I'm not discussing details but I trust Ross and believe him, which is why I awarded him a TU slot in return.

So, with mixed emotions I'm the new editor of The O.C.. Once immensely popular and a st yle icon, FOX decided to cancel it, even though season 4 was just as great as season 2 and better than season 3. Opinions about that differ, as do the opinions about the Marissa character but I'm not making public statements about that here and now LOL

In other news, it's quite busy for me at work, and therefore submitting has to take a backseat. Even watching tv has been reduced but fortunately many of my favourite shows are on a summer break and some have even been cancelled

One show that's just started again is My Boys I've not seen the latest episode but hope to find the time to watch it this week. Next week my boss is on holiday, so I might have more time at work I'm also looking forward to new episodes of Weeds which is followed on showtime by (prepare for a shameless plug of DJ's show) Secret Diary of a Call Girl (I'm ashamed to say I've not watched this YET!)

Enjoy the summer and the sun everyone and for those interested in football (or soccer), I'd like to remind everyone that I'm Dutch ROFL

Wanna bet I'm going to regret this after the next round?? I hope not !!!! To think, I'm not even interested in football but I like the positive opinions everyone seems to have of the Dutch team (at the moment)

Level 52 - 34 % - 7948 subs - 17742 profile views

Posted by expatriot, 06/15/2008 10:44am  7 Comments
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Instant editor and new level

Instant editor makes it sounds like instant coffee not a good thing, oh well with the new instant editorship feature, I became the editor of:

Another old-ish, British series which premiered in 1971 that I vaguely remember watching bits of. Many episodes were missing completely, so I added them. The trick now is to find matching episode summaries

Two news editorships for me in one week that hasn't happened in a long, long time. Of course, it helped a lot in finally moving on a level and I'm now a Guzzlefish

Not watched a lot since my last blog, unsurprisingly, but I did manage a few movies

Gremlins

A cl@ssic Fun and scary at times. Didn't actually remember this being set around Christmas.

Gremlins 2: The New Batch

Not as original as the first one (duh) but still fun and I loved the "intermission" LOL

Surfer King

Piece of fluff, but it's always great to see Lindsay Wagner, who's underused in this movie though

The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning

Watched this after having watched the Dukes of Hazzard movie (as mentioned in my previous blog). This one is OK, as long as you don't care about continuity and anachronisms (I think that's what they're called LOL )

Level 52 - 3 % - 7818 subs - 16883 profile views

Posted by expatriot, 05/15/2008 8:54am  10 Comments
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Benidorm

No, no, I'm not going there on holiday. I somehow managed, within the space of 3 days or so, to become the editor of the UK comedy show called Benidorm and after watching it, I'd never even consider going there on holiday

It didn't have a single quote and had incomplete cast and crew listings, so I started adding quotes and I've been fixing the credits and became its editor. Still loads to do, as far as I can tell, almost all episode summaries were copied from other sites (I edited one, but need to edit the others as well). It's been a while since I've gotten a new guide so YAY

This is a picture from it, featuring the 'lovely' Garvey family including orange-tanned, chain-smoking Madge LOL

In other me-related news it's glorious weather here and it's a long weekend too. Monday is Whit Monday, i.e. a day off and Sunday is Mothering Sunday over here. It's already been in the UK, not sure about the US, but being the dutiful son that I am I will drive to the Netherlands and visit my parents and have a BBQ YUM

What I have been watching:

Flood

A disaster movie, made for TV (make that ITV ) that hasn't made in to either movietome or tv.com. It's wasn't bad as such, but it wasn't great either. It was fun to see familiar bits of London flooded though

Shelter

A lovely coming-out, surfer movie.

Hollow Man 1 and 2

1 was better than I remembered and 2 was hardly worth the name sequel and I bet Christian Slater only did it for the money.

The Dukes of Hazzard

As a fan of the original series, I long avoided this but the DVD was on sale, very cheaply, so I couldn't resist. Not a Knoxville fan but he was bearable in this, the same goes for Ms Simpson. I've always liked Sean William Scott and he was good in this one too.

Deceit

OK thriller with surprise twist at the end. Again, this one did not make it to either movietome or tv.com

Sydney White

Enjoyable teen comedy very loosely based on snow white

The latter two movies I watched because they featured an actor from one of the tv shows I watched, namely Matt Long, who starred in:

Jack and Bobby

This is a brilliant series that, unfortunately only lasted one season. It's smart, intelligent, well written and stars great actors. Unmissable and thus recommended !!!

As usual, continued to watch some other series as well, but you all know them by now They are: The Tudors, Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica, Gossip Girl and Greek. Oh yeah, Obviously I should add Benidorm to that list, but there's only one episode of season 2 left

Level 51 - 80 % - 7710 subs - 16632 profile views I might make it to level 52 yet

Posted by expatriot, 05/10/2008 3:35am  5 Comments
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How do you do it?

Having just finished writing two recaps I was wondering. As mentioned in a previous blog, I think writing one is a lot of work so I'm curious to see how other people do this.

I write the recap while watching the episode for the first time and I wonder whether that doesn't spoil some of the enjoyment of watching the show. Basically, I watch a scene and write it down; sometimes I watch the scene again to write down a quote or to listen to a name again. Then on to the next scene, etc. ec. etc. Do people watch it in full first and write a recap during their second time watching it? Do people take notes while watching it first before writing the recap?

How do YOU do it??

What shows and movies did I watch, you ask?

Well

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Despite some glowing reviews, I don't get this movie. It's too artsy for my taste. Some funny moments but not enough to endure this movie. It is however, the first time I've seen Owen Wilson act

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - The Beginning

Surprisingly enjoyable, if you like this kind of movie, of course

Lars and the Real Girl

Another quirky movie, it seems to be my favourite word to describe movies Maybe that says something about my taste in movies LOL Ryan Gosling was very good in this though !!

Step up and Step up 2

Part one had the better script (relatively speaking) but part 2 had the better dance moves.

White Nights

Unsirprisingly, they don't make this kind of movie any more. Some odd turns in the script but enjoyable, if only to see a part of history.

Lawn Dogs

While beautifully shot and featuring good acting, this is another movie that I simply don't get. What was the script writer or the director trying to say ??? There are so many mixed messages in this movie that it's hard to make sense of it. BTW, it's difficult to imagine this little girl growing up to become a diva in The O.C.

The Leage of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Melodramatic and grandiose but fun at times if you ignore the odd mish-mashof literary characters combined in this movie.

Catch me if you can

Another Spielberg gem and even though I''m not the bigggest Tom Hanks fan, he was OK in this. Leo was great.

Phew, I'm surprised I've got time to go to work and watch telly but I do I watched the usual tv shows, which I'm not going to link to because I've done that a few times already. They are: The Tudors, Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica and Greek,

I'm glad the staff at tv.com listened to its members and decided not to duplicate guides. I think most editors can certainly live with the interim solution. I hope CNET makes a bit more money available to get more DEV staff and implement a proper solution soon !!

Level 51 - 60 % - 7445 subs - 16184 profile views

Posted by expatriot, 04/22/2008 10:39am  10 Comments
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My Recent Reviews

 
9.0 Superb
Benidorm
Episode 2-5
Avg Score: 9.03    Total Ratings: 3    Total Reviews: 1
What a fabulous episode. The showdown between Madge and Sylvia is a true classic. Sooooooo funny and well acted by both actresses involved. Great to see Wendy Richard again too. Have liked her since way back in "Are you being served".

The cowboy hats, the smoke escaping between the lips, all remeniscent of great western, especially High Noon.

This scene should be shown to all film students as a prime example of how to do an alternate, spoof version of a classic movie scene. A real joy to watch and made even more enjoyable by the actions and comments of the surrounding actors!!
Report Abuse Posted May 12, 2008
9.8 Superb
Jack & Bobby
Avg Score: 8.77    Total Ratings: 646    Total Reviews: 53
Too intelligent, too good, bad scheduling ??

I don't know what caused this series to be cancelled after only one season, but what a season it was.

Brilliantly written and acted, this is a true gem in television history. Unfortunately, it was not recognised as such at the time and it was cancelled, too realy, too soon!!

Clever juxtaposing of current and future events in the lives of our characters made this a special show. The quality of writing made it an excellent show and the actors involved, especially the three leads, made it unforgettable. Matt Long in particular make such an impression that I'm sure he will have a bright future in whatever he decides to do.

Definitely "gone too soon".
Report Abuse Posted May 8, 2008
9.5 Superb
Jack & Bobby
Election Night
Avg Score: 8.71    Total Ratings: 19    Total Reviews: 1
This is such a sensitive episode, first love, betrayal, brotherly love, parental love. It all made this a very powerful and emotional episode.

The most dramatic and heart wrenching scene came at the end. Jack and Grace standing at Bobby's hospital bed and Grace talking to Jack about parenting. Then in a small voice Jack says: But I'm not a parent."

That scene almsot broke my heart. Sooo very well written and excellent acted by both actors involved. Matt Long should have gotten an Emmy for delivery of that line along, irrespective of the rest of the episode.

Very, very well done and a highlight of the series.
Report Abuse Posted Apr 28, 2008
7.0 Good
Supernatural
Ghostfacers
Avg Score: 8.22    Total Ratings: 573    Total Reviews: 95
Yes, I'm glad they back but this was not as good as I'd hoped it would be. Some scenes were OK, some were even funny but I've always claimed that Supernatural is the only show that can do proper comedy and combine it with 'horror' and scary elements.
Unfortunately, this was just not that funny. Other Supernatural episodes used a unique belnd of comedy and horror to make funny yet scary episodes but this one did not work that well.
One of the thing that bothered me were some of the gay jokes. They've made gay jokes before, usually involving the pair of them sharing a room and I think that's perfectly fine. However, in this case they ridiculed an actual gay character and I felt that was not funny and unnecessary. Too bad this return episode could not have been of the usual standard...
Report Abuse Posted Apr 25, 2008
9.9 Superb
Greek
Freshman Daze
Avg Score: 9.60    Total Ratings: 91    Total Reviews: 6
Users who agree: 2   
I think, in fact I know for a fact, that this is the best episode of the series so far and it's diccifult to imagine anything topping this. Everything came together to create the perfect episode. The past caught up with the present and we now know how Casey and Cappie came together and broke up. We know how Casey ended up with Evan. We now know about Cappie and Evan's past and the end of their friendship. Let's hope this doesn't happen with Calvin and Rusty.
We also know that Frannie wasn't always Frannie from last season. She really cared for Casey and as much as I hated her, I hope they can find a way to renew their friendship. I hope the same for Evan and Cappie, though I seriously doubt it, unfortunately.

Fantastic episode!!!
Report Abuse Posted Apr 22, 2008

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expatriot
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Drama King - More than 10 favorite shows, at least 20% dramas. Space Cadet - More than 10 favorite shows, at least 20% of them sci-fi.  King of Comedy - More than 10 favorite shows, at least 20% of them comedies. Swashbuckler - More than 10 favorite shows, at least 20% of them action/adventure.  This user has over 20 friends. Guzzlefish (Ode to Snide) User has submitted news links via the User Link Submission system. This user participated in week one of our Real Housewives of Orange County poll! This user participated in week two of our Real Housewives of Orange County poll! This user participated in week three of our Real Housewives of Orange County poll! This user participated in week four of our Real Housewives of Orange County poll! Editor for a show guide. Editor for a person guide. Trusted Contributor for a show guide. Trusted Contributor for a person guide. Contributite - This user has made at least 1 contribution. Side-kick'n Contributor - This user has made at least 50 contributions. Captain Contributor - This user has made at least 100 contributions. Cosmic Contributor - This user has made at least 500 contributions. Contributor of the Millennium - This user has made at least 1,000 contributions. Master of the Contributions - This user has made at least 2,000 contributions. Contributor Sensei - This user has made at least 5,000 contributions. This user participated in our January 2007 Live 24 Recap and Chat! This user participated in our Sopranos Final Season chat! This user participated in our Finale Fanfare 2007 chat series! This user participated in one of our Fall 2007 Premiere Chats! This user participated in the 2007 Live Emmys Chat! This user is on the 815 Flight Manifest and participated in the Lost Season 4 Premiere Chat! This user participated in one of our 2008 Finale Fanfare chats! This user has one of the top 1,000 point scores in the community. This user has one of the top 500 point scores in the community. This user has over 50 journal entries. This user has contributed over 500 message board posts. This user has written over 15 reviews.
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Level: 52    Completion: 80.81%
Rank: Guzzlefish
Forum Posts: 2,600
Submissions
Accepted: 8,285
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Total: 8,389
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Shows: 9
Episodes: 406
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Total: 416
expatriot's Shows Breakdown:
Show Genre Breakdown
Drama 19: 27.1%
Science-Fiction 17: 24.3%
Comedy 14: 20%
Action/Adventure 14: 20%
Other 6: 8.6%

About Me

 
expatriot
I'm a Dutch guy who happens to live in Germany. I also happen to like TV (big surprise there on this site) and have become seriously addicted to this site. I still love reading though, but tv.com and the internet in general do take up a lot of possible reading time. I will read everything by Stephen King, Raymond Feist, Clive Barker and a few other, select authors, and for them I simply make time. I like to watch comedies and Sci-Fi shows, both old and new, American or British.

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