New Girl: Eggs

     Winston is really starting to become a serious problem for this show.  The writers need to decide what to do with him or get rid of him because his lack of significance to the show is really holding it down.  Even when it looks like we are finally going to get a Winston story line and follow him to work it's only to set up a Nick story line.  There's room for more Winston and Lamorne Morris seems capable enough as a comedic actor so something needs to be done.  On a show where everything else is so strong, it doesn't seem like much to ask to give this character more to lift.
     I wasn't crazy about the Nick story line this week either.  It's the first time Nick has come off as totally flat this season.  Jess, on the other hand, was brilliant.  This was definitely Zooey's week to do the heavy lifting and she came through in spades.  She has shown that she has a knack for the physical comedy but this week was all about her one liners.  The comedic timing of the whole cast is just so spot on.  The scene between Schmidt and the gynecologist when he describes how he pleasures a women was great.  "Everybody gets a churro," should be the next big catch phrase!
     For that scene alone this week gets a win, 5-1.  There were no great Nick quotes this week, so I'll give the week to Jess when she said, "I want to give my nipples a purpose!"

How I Met Your Mother: 12 Horny Women

     This week's example of horrible writing... We get introduced in the first five minutes that after the last kiss between Barney and Robin, things are weird between them.  We then spend the next 15 to 20 minutes watching them interact in a perfectly normal manner with no suggestion or appearance of weirdness to only have the weirdness brought back up in the final minute.  I'm going to ignore the fact that at this point in their relationship there is very little to be weird about (they've already had sex, they've already dated, they are both single, etc, etc, etc) and only point out that this is as lazy as writing gets.  They obviously had an idea where they want the relationship to be but didn't feel the need to establish more then two minutes of time to it.  Not only did they only devote two minutes to it, but they decided to consciously ignore their own established premise for most of the episode.  It's insulting.
     Once again there was nothing funny, there was nothing interesting, there was nothing that pushed the bigger story forward.  The only thing it had going for itself was an appearance by Mr. Belding!  16 more probably painful episodes to go.

Book Review: In One Person by John Irving (48 in 2012? #40)

          A friend of a friend says that you shouldn’t read more then one book by a given author in a calendar year.  I’ve read five John Irving books over the last two and I’m beginning to see his point.  I don’t want to take anything away from Irving’s work, but I’m starting to get burned out on all his themes.  I may have only read five of his novels but they span the length of his career and all contain wrestling, private schools, professional authors, sexual perversion, the German language, and New England.  I’m probably even missing a few things.  Bears seem to be prevalent as well, but I missed any mention of them in In One Person.
            I’m trying to see the forest through the trees and that being the case I don’t want to knock this novel.  If you enjoy Irving, this is a very solid story and if you haven’t ever read his work you obviously won’t have the problems I mentioned in the first paragraph.  Again, I’ve only read five of his 14 novels, but In One Person is easily the most perverse of his work that I have read and that is saying a lot.  One of the things I enjoy most about Irving, though, is how he tackles perversion without making the reader uncomfortable.  He writes with such ease about taboo subjects without sensationalizing them.  I’m sure there are many people who wouldn’t enjoy reading about transvestites, gay sex or incest but Irving presents them all in such a way that you are excepting when you should be excepting, uncomfortable when you should be uncomfortable and appalled when you should be appalled.  He has found a way to write truthfully about sex without being salacious.
            One of Irving’s other strengths is his ability to write deeply human characters and In One Person is no exception.  Irving isn’t scared of flawed characters, especially his protagonists, and it is a trait that gives his works such amazing depth.  Although they usually find themselves in absurd predicaments, the characters themselves never feel absurd.  Even ones that could easily turn into caricatures find a way to keep the humanity that keeps the stories grounded.  Grandpa Harry is obviously a source of comic relief, but at the same time serves a deep emotional significance to the narrator, Billy.  It would have been easy for Irving to leave him as a one dimensional character, but making him more human brought the stories themes to life.
            In One Person was at its best as a novel when it talked about AIDS.  Once the epidemic became a plot point, the novel reached an emotional high and brought home many of the themes that had been building for pages.  Irving wrote about the almost forgotten time when HIV was a death sentence with such poignancy, one can’t help but feel not only for the people who died but those that were left behind as well.
            Recurring themes aside, In One Person is a good read, but not a great one.  If you enjoy Irving’s work, you will most likely enjoy this one.  If you have never picked up one of his books, this isn’t where I would suggest you start, but there is still much to get out of it.

Top 5: James Bond Movies

          So, this was supposed to go out last week, in honor of the release of the 23^rd James Bond movie.  I’ve long had a fascination with the character that started with the movies and led me to read almost all of Fleming’s novels.  I thought about listing my Top 5 Bond books just to be different, but it’s been so long since I’ve read them I don’t really feel prepared for that.  Maybe I will give them a re-read and that list will come some time in the future.  There are a ton of possible interesting Bond lists, Top 5 Bond Girls, Top 5 Bond Girl Names, Top 5 Bond cars, Top 5 Bond Gadgets, Top 5 Bond Theme Songs, I’d only be leaving out one, but I could even do Top 5 Bonds.  Chances are one or more of those lists will pop up somewhere in the future, but for now I decided to just go generic and do my Top 5 Favorite James Bond Movie.  I’ve decided to keep Skyfall off the list because it’s still too fresh.  I loved it and would probably put it one or two, but I want there to be a little bit of time for it to stew before it gets listed.

5) Octopussy

            It’s long been said that your first Bond movie is always the best Bond movie.  While not my absolute favorite, Octopussy makes this list probably because it was the first one I ever saw.  It’s widely considered one of the worst Bond films, but it still holds a place in my heart.  As I’ve gotten older I’ve found myself annoyed by most of Roger Moore’s turn as Bond, yet this movie has always entertained me.  It’s light on crazy gadgets and the plot is a little convoluted, but I love Maud Adams and nothing ever compares to that first Bond experience.

4) Goldeneye

            This movie will probably be best remembered for the Super Nintendo game that went along with it, but it was also the triumphant return of the Bond franchise after a long layoff and fear that the character wouldn’t resonate in the new non-Soviet world.  I would put every other Brosnan film on my Top 5 Worst Bond films, but this one is just too good to knock.  It made one believe that Brosnan was going to be as great a Bond as Connery.  Little did we know that every other film he would be in was going to be more about big explosions and horribly casted Bond girls.  This movie didn’t suffer from either of those.  It has an interesting plot that focused on story not spectacle and Famke Janssen may be the best Bond girl ever.

3) From Russia With Love

            This was the first Connery film I saw and the first Bond book I read.  There really shouldn’t be much argument that the Connery films are by far the best of the series.  There is just something about the way he plays the character and the fun stories that were told.  While the Moore films feel horrible dated there is something timeless about the ones Connery starred in.  This is a classic Bond tale that set most of the things we have come to expect from Bond movies such as the pre-title action sequence, Bond gadgets, a helicopter sequence and Desmond Llewelyn as Q.

2) On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

            This film, which has the series only one time Bond, George Lazenby, has recently found itself resurging in popularity.  For decades it was considered to have a black mark because of Lazenby’s presence, but people have come to realize that it is actually one of the best of the Bond movies.  Its story is more personal then any other Bond and is the only movie, other then Casino Royale, where Bond has a serious relationship with a woman.  The film's ending is totally unexpected and leaves us on a note that is a huge departure from the series.  Part of the love of Bond comes from getting those moments that we have come to expect from the character, but this movie’s departure is what makes it such a good movie.  Lazenby may be the most forgettable of the Bonds but the movie he is in is easily one of the best.

1) Goldfinger

            I know, it’s the Joe Bloggs answer to the question, but there really can’t be much denying that this is the best Bond film ever made.  It has the best Bond girls, the best Bond villains, the best Bond.  The plot strays from the typical Cold War espionage of the era and proves that Bond doesn’t need The Soviet Union to be interesting.  Goldfinger is easily the most iconic of the Bond bad guys along with his henchman, Oddjob.  Although both only appear in one movie, they are easily more recognizable then any of the characters that appear in multiple movies in the series.  It also has the most famous line in Bond history other then “shaken not stirred,” “No, Mr. Bond.  I expect you to die.”  This movie is everything great about James Bond and is the standard that all other Bond movies will be held up to.

Honorable Mentions: Dr. No, You Only Live Twice, A View To A Kill, Skyfall

New Girl: Parents

     I guess it figures that a well written ensemble comedy would do a wonderful job with guest stars.  All three high profile guest stars were perfectly cast and perfectly written.  Rob Reiner and Jamie Lee Curtis did the heavy lifting in this episode and pulled it off wonderfully.  Not that we would expect anything else from these two giant stars, but the balance they were able to strike between heavy emotional moments and subtle comedic beats was right on.  Rob Riggle might have had a less important role in the episode, but he was just as perfect out Schmidt-ing Schmidt.  It wasn't his line, but his character's younger representative had one of the best lines of the episode, "I'm the strong kind of fat!"
     As always, Nick was the glue that kept the episode together, having great moments with everyone in the cast.  The scenes of him sitting on the couch with Jess's dad and flirting with Jess's mom were easily the funniest of the episode.
     Another super funny New Girl episode, the writers are obviously in a groove, 4-1.  And the Nick quote of the week is, "I've got something bad inside me that ruins everything."

How I Met Your Mother: Stamp Tramp

          Two or three years ago, this episode would have been a homerun, but with the current slate of writers, or at least how the writers have been performing of late, it's a barely passable roller coaster ride of ups and downs.  There were some good moments, but those moments were surrounded by a bunch of substandard jokes and unearned moments.  It hurts to write that HIMYM has a bunch of unearned emotional moments, but that's where we've been so far this season.  It should have been a nice little moment at the end of the episode between Lily and Ted, but Ted has become so insufferable that it felt forced and overly sappy.  Remember when we liked Ted, when he was the main character, the emotional center?  Now it's gotten to a point where the writers have to make Ted realize how insufferable he is just to try and salvage the character.  I'm sure they'll argue that it was the journey they were taking Ted through the whole time, but I don't buy it.
          On the positive side, I enjoyed the gag about the sabermetric strip club and the idea of the stamp tramp, although not totally realized, was classic HIMYM.  On the negative, the Lebron jokes were two years too late and I've come to totally despise every time the phrase, "But we'll get to that later." is uttered.
          It didn't live up to old HIMYM standards, but it didn't offend me... 17 more to go!

Book Review: Christianity on Trial: Arguments Against Anti-Religious Bigotry (48 In 2012? #39)

          I don’t really have much to say about this book, but in an effort to document everything I read this year in hopes of reaching 48 books, here’s a brief review.  I’ll start out by confessing I am a Christian, maybe not as devout as I should be, or someone who falls in lockstep with everything the Church says, but enough that my point of view is one that Christianity, as imperfect as it may be, is a cause for good in the world.  In recent years, as Christianity has become more prevalent in U.S. politics, there has been a huge push back on the religion.  Mainstream media has painted a stereotype of Christians that everyone seems to be buying into.  One that says all Christians are easily influenced, close minded, stupid hicks or crazy psychopaths.  That’s where this book comes in.  In an attempt to defend being Christian and debunk the stereotype that has been created, the authors have laid out the good Christianity has brought to the world and tried to discredit all the misnomers.
            Christianity on Trial is an interesting look at snap shots of Christian history and the amazing things the religion has brought to society, many of which we take for granted in today’s world.  But if the authors truly had hopes of changing the minds of dissenters, there is very little here that I think would accomplish that goal.  Plus, as much good as Christianity has done, there are plenty of horrible things done in Christ’s name that the authors can do nothing to discredit.  If anything this is an interesting history book and a nice reminder of the positive aspects of the Christian religion, a religion that has defined what charity is, created the most functional government in the history of the world, and has almost always been ahead of society with civil rights.  If you’re a Christianity hater, chances are this book isn’t going to have any effect on you.  If you have very little interest in religion, you should probably stay away as well.  But this quick read has a bunch of interesting facts for those who like to read light history.