Movie #11 of 2017: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) This movie is overshadowed in two directions: it doesn’t quite reach the storytelling heights of its predecessor Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) that revived the series, nor does it ever get as bonkers as Battle for the Planet of the …
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Movie #10 of 2017: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) I’ve seen every Planet of the Apes movie multiple times, and this one is definitely my favorite. It helps that it’s modeled closely on Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972), my favorite of the original series, but Rise definitely carves out …
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TV #25 of 2017: The West Wing, season 5 This show never quite gets bad during its run, but this season is probably the closest it gets (which makes it all the more surprising that 5×17 The Supremes is one of the show’s all-time best episodes). Josh’s annoying intern is a big part of the …
Movie #5 of 2017: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) I hadn’t seen this movie since it was in theaters, and my wife hadn’t seen it at all, so we streamed it through Amazon before heading out to see the sequel. Even three years later, it’s still really impressive how much this movie stakes out its …
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Movie #2 of 2017: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) I saw this movie for the first time in ages, and it was better than I had remembered. The digital aging / de-aging effects are neat, and the script taps into some grand poetic longing of the Anne Rice variety. It’s still way too …
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TV #51 of 2016: The West Wing, season 4 After a rocky adjustment post-9/11 in the previous season, this year The West Wing is back to its usual level of quality. I’m also amazed, even on this millionth rewatch, at the audacity of Aaron Sorkin to end his last season that way and leave such …
Movie #23 of 2016: Die Hard (1988) Another old favorite that my wife hadn’t seen (and another “Christmas movie” in that it’s set around the holidays, although that’s honestly not such a huge part of the film). This is a classic for a reason, with great performances from young Alan Rickman and Bruce Willis and …
Movie #22 of 2016: Bad Santa (2003) A family favorite that my wife had never seen before (and that I hadn’t watched in probably ten years). I don’t really have any interest in seeing the new sequel – which looked pretty awful from the trailers – but the original is a non-stop laugh riot. Very …
TV #44 of 2016: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, season 3 My wife was still catching up on this show, so I’ve been rewatching it while she does. And now we’re both ready for the new episodes – including that New Girl crossover – starting soon! My reaction to the season this time is that it continues to …
TV #41 of 2016: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, season 2 The main accomplishment of Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s second season is definitely delivering on the Jake-and-Amy romantic tension that developed over the course of season 1. But watching this season for the second time, I was also struck by how much the character of Madeline Wunch adds to the …
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