A Quick, Random Thought

The following is a blatant truism, for the writing of which I hope any readers will forgive me.

There are certain people that one meets in life with whom one shares some unknown, indefinable bond. One might colloquially phrase it as two people "clicking" with each other or as "being on the same wavelength," or as some other cliché that suggests this connection that seems hard to pin down. Anyway, it's a nice thing. I'd probably be more introspective about this if it weren't for pressing work. But it will suffice for now to say that it's a wonderful thing when it happens.

Perhaps the beginning of "a beautiful friendship?" Who knows...

"The following film may be missing reels..."

Grindhouse. Well worth $10. See it in a small, grungy, funky theater with small screens, old seats, and bad sound (e.g., Circle Cinema in Brookline, Mass.). Not for the faint of heart (most of Rodriguez's and Tarantino's films aren't).

"The Motel"

Well-executed, independent film about a Chinese family that runs a motel. Worth watching. Depressing, though. (It's an indie film; I'm not sure what I was expecting.)

"Heroes" is Looking Really Good Right Now

As the sixteenth episode of the current season of "24" came to a close, I saw the spectre of Fonzie waterskiing across a lake in his leather jacket and now know, with a sinking feeling in my gut, that a shark is lurking somewhere in those waters.

It seems Joel Surnow and his writers are running out of plots that they can recycle on what, conceptually, is a very innovative series, but which now suffers from a variable quality of writing and acting.

A few plots from season six that are recurrences of plots from previous seasons:

• the invocation of the 25th Amendment, a plot from seasons two and four;
• the amputation of Gredenko's arm with an ax, an occurence reminiscent of both the amputation of Chase's hand by similar means in season three and Jack's removal of Marshall Goren's head with a hacksaw in season two;
• the assasination attempt on Wayne Palmer, reminiscent of the three attempted assasinations of David Palmer in seasons one and two and his assasination in season five;
• Morris's struggle with an addiction to alcohol, redolent of Jack's addiction to heroin in season three;
• Jack's assault on the Russian consulate in Los Angeles, a repetition of the CTU assault on the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles in season five;
• Vice President Daniels's attempts to undermine the legitimacy of Wayne Palmer's presidency, redolent of similar attempts by Vice Presidents Prescott and Gardner to undermine, respectively, the presidencies of Presidents David Palmer and Charles Logan in seasons two and five; and
• the threatened and realized nuclear attacks on Los Angeles, reminiscent of seasons two, four, and five.

The writers of "24" need to get back to basics: focus on writing realistic dialogue for deep characters and create tension through more suspense and less action. More suggestions to come.

Four Days ("Merci, La Poste" Redux)

Four days: that's how long it took for a letter from a wonderful friend to go from being posted in Paris to being delivered to the hamlet of Annandale-on-Hudson. Bravissimi, La Poste and USPS!