Wednesday, June 27, 2012

In Memoriam

Nora Ephron (1941 – 2012)

Nora Ephron

Nora Ephron was an American filmmaker, director, producer, screenwriter, novelist, playwright, journalist, author, and blogger.

She is best known for her romantic comedies and was a triple nominee for the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally... and Sleepless in Seattle.  Her last film was Julie & Julia, with Meryl Streep, which she wrote and directed.

Her complete biography, here.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Andy Whitfield

Andy Whitfield passed away last year after a long battle with cancer.  He was the star of the TV show Spartacus.

This is a short preview of an upcoming documentary whose stated goal is to bring attention to this particularly deadly form of cancer and to Andy’s ultimate message, which was “Be Here Now.”

Get your tissues ready.

In Memoriam

Lonesome George

George

From The Chicago Tribune:

The last remaining tortoise of his kind and a conservation icon, died on Sunday of unknown causes, the Galapagos National Park said. He was thought to be about 100 years old.

Lonesome George was found in 1972 and had become a symbol of Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, which attracted some 180,000 visitors last year.

"This morning the park ranger in charge of looking after the tortoises found Lonesome George, his body was motionless," the head of the Galapagos National Park, Edwin Naula, told Reuters. "His life cycle came to an end."

George was believed to be around 100 years old and the last member of a species of giant tortoise from La Pinta, one of the smallest islands in the Galapagos, the Galapagos National Park said.

Another species has gone extinct.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Game of Thrones

Game of ThronesSeason 2 of Game of Thrones came roaring back this spring, once again raising the bar for lavish productions, sprawling casts, and interwoven storylines that fully work on all levels.

The kingdom is now living under the shadow of war, with many lords proclaiming themselves Kings of their respective lands.  Outwitting your enemy is the name of the game though, so you better watch your back.  Always.

Like the previous season finale, we were left with a hell of a cliffhanger that will surely keep our appetites wet until the next installment.

In spite of the great reviews and stellar ratings, I wonder how many seasons HBO will be willing to produce, given the high costs (and, arguably, headaches) such a huge production inevitably generates.

Grade – Season 2: 10

Californication

CalifornicationI started watching this show because I always had a thing for David Duchovny (ever since the great The X-Files).  This year, the fifth, before the show’s return, I started thinking that perhaps it had reached a point where they would run out of fresh material and new storylines.  I was wondering how long they could keep this guy going around not giving a damn, while the people he loves and who love him get hurt, before it became trite.

Well, this wasn’t the year, for sure.  Somehow, the writers found a way to conjure up another interesting season that only got better as it went along.  I ended up watching all the episodes back-to-back, and it was the typical can’t put it down feel.

Karen has now remarried and Becca is all grown up, so Hank sort of has to live his own life and try to make a living after the legal issues he recently endured.  That’s when Hollywood comes into the picture, bringing a whole new boatload of troubles.

I really have to give it to the writers and producers for coming up with yet another interesting season of plots after 5 long years.  Many series never make it this far still being interesting, and certainly fail at rekindling one’s interest if it has already started to fade.

Grade – Season 5: 7

Being Human

Being HumanSeason 2 of the American remake of this British import built on its established strengths and allowed the characters to explore their darker sides.

Josh had to face the possibility of having to embrace his inner wolf if he wanted to keep his newfound relationship alive.  Aidan also was put on the spot between the woman he once loved and has now come back and his progeny.  And Sally literally had to fight not to be ripped apart by a mysterious reaper.

My fears that this show would take a turn for the worst and descend into lame territory, fortunately never materialized.

Grade – Season 2: 8

The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead2Season 2 of this great show didn’t disappoint, with more drama, more deaths, and more shockers than ever.

Our group of survivors didn’t get to travel much this time around.  Forced to make an extended stop in a farm, some of them considered trying to create as normal a life there as possible.  Alas, things, didn’t always go the way they had hoped.

Season 2 brought us new and exciting characters to replace the many “oldies” we were going to inevitably lose.  This being a show about death (and life) that seems inescapable.

The writing kept being astounding and the acting never let us down.  Looking forward to Season 3 and several more hours in the company of the charmingly gritty Andrew Lincoln.

Grade – Season 2: 10

Thursday, June 07, 2012

Life on Mars

Is this attempt way out there or are we looking at something feasible?

Venus passing

The recent pass Venus made over the Sun, from NASA: