These are the best movies and series I watched in 2023, in no particular order. Five stars: the best of the best KimiThis overlooked thriller is as taut and suspenseful as it gets. Zoë Kravitz is brilliant as the agoraphobic tech worker who must face her fear in order to
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wmtc: an obvious life hack: how to make streaming more affordable and still enjoy ad-free viewing
Much ink is being spilled, metaphorically speaking, about the changing trends in subscription-based streaming services. Headlines scream that shows on Netflix and Prime will now include ads, implying that users will pay the same rates plus see ads, as we did with cable TV. But that’s not true (at least not
Continue readingwmtc: rip robbie robertson
The news that Robbie Robertson died hit me hard. Although he’s not the last surviving member of The Band (Garth Hudson recently turned 80), he was my last surviving deep connection to music that is so close to my heart. I rarely feel a famous person’s death in a personal way.
Continue readingwmtc: we movie to canada: best of "what i’m watching" 2022
Here are the best movies and series I watched in 2022. They’re not in order — it’s not a countdown — just a list of all the really good stuff. Five stars: the best of the best BoJack Horseman re-watchMy favourite show of all time. I’m trying not to call
Continue readingwmtc: this leftist yellowstone fan rejects the claim that’s it a right-wing show
Season 5 of “Yellowstone” is streaming now. I love this show, and I’m waiting for the full season to post on Prime before I bingeing this latest season. I was surprised to learn that the current take on Yellowstone describes it as right-wing — that claimes the show espouses right-wing
Continue readingwmtc: the game report: an update that is not completely analog
Back in December of last year, I blogged about starting a game night at home, rotating every-other week between games and music. I was super happy about it. Seven months later, I can report mixed results — mostly mixed because my partner really doesn’t like games. This has always been a source
Continue readingwmtc: 12 reasons bojack horseman is my favourite show of all time (thoughts after re-watch)
Allan and I first watched “BoJack Horseman” in real time, from 2014 to January 2020. We liked it from the start, but as the show deepened in meaning and intensity, we became increasingly invested, amazed, moved, and sometimes awed. At times BH became so emotionally intense, we would be left
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m watching: best of 2021 (april to december)
As I mentioned here, I’ve decided to stop posting my entire “what i’m watching” list for the year. Instead I’m going to do an annual best-of. I’m also realigning this with the calendar. For 2021, I’m starting with April, where last year’s 2020-21 list left off. Next year I’ll be
Continue readingwmtc: we movie to canada: wmtc’s annual movie awards is retired, replaced with best-of list
Last year, I realized that the new format of my annual movie awards was problematic. Beginning with 2018-19, rather than grouping movies by rating (all the 5s together, all the 4s together, and so on), I started listing all the titles alphabetically, showing the rating for each. As a personal
Continue readingwmtc: sidney poitier, rest in power
Sidney Poitier was one of my favourite actors. He starred in two of my favourite movies that I watched as a child: “A Patch of Blue” and “To Sir, With Love“. Of course I loved him in “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” “A Raisin in the Sun,” and “Lilies of
Continue readingwmtc: ed asner, rest in power
People of my generation loved Ed Asner for his portrayal of Lou Grant on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, and Allan and I both remember enjoying the spinoff “Lou Grant”.* But in my home, Ed Asner was admired for more than his canny character acting. Asner was a union man.
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: celebrate asian heritage at your library
As I mentioned here, I’m posting three of these columns each week until I’m caught up. May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada, and the Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) invites you to celebrate. People of Asian heritage have lived in Canada since before Confederation, and have contributed to every aspect
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: more favourite e-resources, always free with your library card
More Favourite E-Resources, Always FREE With Your Library Card The Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) offers so many “e-resources,” it can be difficult to remember them all! That’s why I’m always reminding you about the treasures hidden in your library card. Everyone with a VIRL library card has access to
Continue readingwmtc: we movie to canada: wmtc annual movie awards, 2020-21 edition
Like everyone in the time of Covid, I’m watching a lot! I’m also reading a lot and walking more than ever, so I have zero qualms about an increase in screen time. The annual recap has started to use too much real estate, so this year, I’m putting it at
Continue readingwmtc: current musical obsession: electric president (ben cooper): safe and sound
It’s been a very long time since I’ve posted a musical obsession. I’m watching The Blacklist and I cannot tear myself away from this song. frame>
Continue readingwmtc: we movie to canada: wmtc annual movie awards, 2019-20 edition
It’s that time of year again. With no baseball, and home most nights, even before the lockdown, I spent a lot of time watching. First, my annual recap. (This is killing me because these posts had hundreds of comments.)– Canadian musicians and comedians (2006-07 and 2007-08)– my beverage of choice
Continue readingwmtc: streaming follow-up: we need a universal watchlist app
On my recent post about streaming — five reasons streaming is still better than cable and etc. — I alluded to something towards the end of the post that I want to spotlight here. We need a universal watchlist app. Perhaps several universal watchlist apps, so we can choose the
Continue readingwmtc: five reasons streaming is still better than cable, even if the price tag is the same (plus a long story mostly for myself)
If you stream movies and TV series, you know that the proliferation of streaming channels has had mixed results for consumers. Many shows that were formerly on Netflix have been pulled by their media parents, and are now found on different streaming apps. At the same time, Netflix’s monthly price
Continue readingwmtc: 11 things I loved about "rolling thunder revue: a bob dylan story"
Allan and I have been greatly anticipating “Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story”, the new film by Martin Scorsese released this week on Netflix. When “The Last Waltz” opened at Radio City Music Hall in 1978, I was a senior in high school. My friends and I skipped school
Continue readingwmtc: we movie to canada: wmtc annual movie awards, 2018-19 edition
Time to change things up. I’ve (finally) gotten tired of my silly movie award categories, and need a change. I decided to go with a conventional one-to-five rating scale. But I wanted to use a good symbol, something other than stars (too common), thumbs-up (too cliched) or a maple leaf
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