American Family

Scott Hardie | January 25, 2002
I just wanted to mention another good thing on PBS: "American Family," a new drama starring Edward James Almos, Sonia Braga, Rachel Ticotin, Esaie Morales, Raquel Welch, and some other well-established actors. It's about a Latino (obviously) family in East L.A., and skips between two generations and how the older one affects the younger one. I guess it reminds me of The Joy Luck Club, with a different race and culture. After that Mark Twain documentary I'm not even going to bother asking if anyone has or would watch this; I'm just giving it some due props. It's damn good.

Matthew Preston | January 26, 2002
Sounds interesting. You might have said so before and I missed it, but where are you seeing this? I thought you didn't watch TV?

Also, go see the Count of Monte Cristo. Very well done. Jim Caviezel rules.

Scott Hardie | January 26, 2002
On "American Family": I'm stuck watching TV (or doing homework) when Kelly goes on the computer at night, which I let her do because I have it all day long. The only channel we get is PBS. Fortunately, my opinion of PBS is soaring because of quality programming. Most people dismiss it because they think it often airs crap (and it does), but try it in primetime. It ain't bad.

On "The Count of Monte Cristo": God damn it, I have to get out of this town with its four movie screens. We're lucky we're even getting "Black Hawk Down" here. I really want to see "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "Brotherhood of the Wolf", two movies that are currently in wide release, but they're not playing in this town. Tampa, Sarasota, doesn't matter, just get me there. That part of me that loves movies will be in heaven.

Scott Hardie | October 21, 2004
Everything I said about this show being good? I take it back. I'm currently watching Season 1 on DVD, and with the exception of the one episode I watched start-to-finish on PBS ("The Sewing Machine"), it's a rank mess. The problem is the writing, which is contrived and lacks any spontaneity, setting up every big scene with the awkwardness of a high school theater production. It's so grating on the nerves to see two characters have a private conversation about their shared secret, and think that the writers wouldn't stoop so low as to have the person from whom that secret is kept chance to walk up silently behind them at that precise moment, but then it happens and you're left wondering if any "American Family" fanfic could possibly be as bad as the real thing. I give the show props for its sincere interest in our times, such as telling the story this season of one character's participation on the ground in post-war Iraq, but if a cast this incredibly talented cannot salvage the material, it's just not worth seeing.

Just for shits 'n giggles, I think I'm going to sample that other show I was stuck watching that year in the boondocks when PBS was the only channel I received. Revisiting it and seeing how truly bad it is may be the best way of putting that chapter of my life behind me. :-)

Anna Gregoline | October 21, 2004
When Kelly goes on the computer at night? Back the truck up. I think I missed something.

Lori Lancaster | October 21, 2004
[hidden by request]

Anna Gregoline | October 21, 2004
Oh thank god.

Scott Hardie | October 22, 2004
LOL... Thank god indeed. I didn't want to dredge up a discussion this old, but I wanted to say something about the show as I watch it with different eyes, and before the cast photo gains its prominent place in the new TC next week.

Also: Raquel Welch. Latina. I had no idea. Was it obvious?

Lori Lancaster | October 22, 2004
[hidden by request]

Scott Hardie | October 22, 2004
Yes, it's Spanish according to the actress, who pronounced it "rah-KAY-el" on the commentary track for one episode. If not for that track, I wouldn't have known she was Latina. But if the episode hadn't been so bad, I wouldn't have listened to the track in search of some explanation for what the producers were thinking accepting a first draft of the screenplay as the final. Funny that I only discovered her Latin heritage because of her pride in a Hispanic television series that I found terrible.