Well all right!

Between Sex and the City and The Amazing Race, I may just make it through the summer. I'm not thrilled about her partner Chris, but Amanda and her potty mouth are pretty fabulous. (I see that she and Chris are currently at the top of the popularity poll as well.) Likewise the father/son team and the pair of clowns are going to make this one heckuva show to watch. Jump on board, you didn't miss that much. CBS, Thursday nights.

Up with "Down With Love"

Yes, I loved Down With Love. This is the second Peyton Reed film I've really enjoyed, and it makes me even more excited that Peyton Reed is working on Fantastic Four. I may even have to go back and watch the remakes he did of The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and The Love Bug. Hell, at least Love Bug had Bruce Campbell.

We've entered the summer doldrums, TV-wise, which just means more movies in the theater during the week, and catching up on the backlog of DVDs. The fourth season of Sex and the City just hit shelves; it's only a matter of time before the Doctor and I start vegging out in front of those.

R.I.P. BTVS

Buffy is dead. And none too soon. You'll excuse me for being bitter, but even Joss Whedon couldn't pull an eleventh-hour rabbit out of the hat, not with the mess that was left for him by the writers this season. Sure, as exec producer he had some input into the story for this season, but the (relative) excellence of the finale episode, which Whedon wrote and directed, only underscores how little attention he was paying to the series in its twilight.

This is not to say that there weren't any enjoyable episodes this season, but it suffers in comparison to any other season, and I didn't think things could get much worse than last season's Milquetoasty ending to the Dark Willow storyline. In this case, it was simply too little, too late, and a whole lotta plot threads left dangling -- possibly left for Angel to pick up. (It was pretty gutsy to kill Spike off, given that he has already been confirmed as a new cast member on Angel.) The storyline of The First Evil was never fully explored (what was all that business about The Slayer allowing it the opportunity to gain strength?), and there was never even a reaction from The First about its supposed defeat. And, as predicted, the relationships of the four core characters who made the series what it is got just a tiny bit of lip service. I mean, who gives a damn about Willow's new girlfriend?

On to the next thing, Joss. Please.

R.I.P. John Doe

Fox officially axed John Doe after its big cliffhanger finale. Whoops.

The show had tremendous potential -- enough to keep me coming back through some pretty mediocre episodes -- but Fox has been merciless this season, killing Futurama and Firefly as well. What with a terrible last season of Buffy and an uneven season of Angel, this hasn't been a good time for genre TV.

A Mighty Wind is a-blowin' you and me

I've been busy with the upcoming premiere issue of B-Movies Quarterly and other web site duties lately, but now is as good a time as any to catch up on movie & TV blogging.

A Mighty Wind - what a pleasure. I wasn't certain where Christopher Guest was going with this film. I enjoyed Best in Show but didn't think it was as funny as it could have been. The idea of reuniting the members of Spinal Tap as a folk band was amusing enough, but I wasn't prepared for how entertaining -- and moving -- this movie turned out to be. This is not to say that A Mighty Wind is Casablanca by any means, but I find it remarkable that Guest can create more genuinely touching moments in a tongue-in-cheek comedy than many filmmakers who set out to create full-blown dramas.

House of 1000 Corpses - Scott said it best as we left the theater: "Rob Zombie has seen a lot of horror movies, and he didn't learn a damn thing from any of them." This film was a mess of eye-wrecking imagery and tissue-thin plot, without a single creepy moment or genuine surprise. Just ridiculous, and boring most of the time.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - I'm almost glad this series is coming to an end. I haven't had much fun watching it wind down, since the characters we know and love best haven't had any damn screen time.

Six Feet Under - Oo! Lisa missing, Nate on the edge of insanity. Claire finally learns how to dump a loser boyfriend. How can there only be two episodes left in this season? It's not fair!

The Wild Bunch - Between Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and this movie, I'm learning valuable lessons about being an outlaw cowboy in the Old West. Important rule: no matter how bad things get, do not leave the United States. You may take hundreds of grimy Hispanic extras with you, but sooner or later, you're going to die in a colossal shootout.