Library Score!

I enjoy going to see what the local libraries have for sale in their used books, used CD, used DVD sections. I can often locate something cool to purchase when I venture in to see what I can locate. Sometimes I'll get lucky and find a collectible, such as I did when I found a first edition copy of the biography of Walt Disney written by his daughter. In dust jacket. In excellent condition. I bought that one for fifty cents and sold it for over $700 on Ebay. Not bad.

Today I nabbed some good DVDs. I'll be burning some time watching films, now.

I liked the American version of the first chapter. So when I saw the Swedish versions of the next two book adaptations I glommed onto them.

I had SHOWTIME for free for a few years and enjoyed the Dexter show. But when they took away the freebie offer I just couldn't justify paying all that money to watch one series and a couple of films per month. So I never saw any of the episodes after the third season.

This was the best score of the day, though. Criterion disk  of THE WAGES OF FEAR. A classic. One of those movies that is flawless. This is the movie that spawned SORCERER in a remake that proved to be every bit as powerful as the source movie, which shows the power of the original script and theme.

Five TV Shows I Liked

I am one of those folk who doesn't watch TV very much. It just doesn't appeal to me, mainly. It's not that I'm a snob about it, but I just can't stand most television shows.

However, there have been a few things that I like. I'll list them.

FRANK'S PLACE. This was a show that got cancelled. I'm not sure if it even lasted an entire season. It was well written and had wonderful performances and starred Tim Reid (best known these days as a semi-regular from THAT 70s SHOW). I wish it had caught on. One episode still haunts me--the show was technically a comedy (and it was indeed very funny) but the best episode dealt with a young person on the show descending into drug use and then climbing back out. That one was spectacularly effective and was pure drama.

Tim Reid

DEXTER. I don't subscribe to premium TV channels. However, we once got Showtime as part of a promotional cable pitch. So for two years I got to watch DEXTER as each episode premiered. To me, it was the best "real" superhero done as cinema. Because to me, that's what the character Dexter really is. He's a superhero with secret identity and everything. Nifty. Of course I haven't seen it in a few years. I'll pick up the DVDs as they get cheap.

Dexter. Everyone's favorite serial killer.

THE SOPRANOS. See above. I only saw these on DVD. I still haven't seen the sixth and final season. It's on my Christmas list. Great acting, superlative writing, only rarely falling off the tracks into soap opera land.

The Boss.

BREAKING BAD. To my way of thinking, this is the best writing I've ever watched on television. It's just good on every level. I've seen most of the episodes (there are a few I haven't seen), and it's rare that I have any quibbles with the logic of the scripts. And of course the performances by every single actor on the show is just flawless. I really, really love this series!

Walter White, anti-hero of BREAKING BAD.

THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW. This is one that I would catch when I was on the road. Usually the hotels where I'd stay in those days had cable and I could catch this series. The writing here was the best! And it was generally so funny that my stomach would hurt from laughing so hard. And of course peppered with enough drama to keep things interesting. It's probably the best comedy show I've ever seen.

Two of the funniest actors I've ever seen on TV: Garry Shandling and Rip Torn.