Thursday, January 27, 2011

For all the media that’s headed out the door, there’s still a steady influx of fresh content, though the tonnage has shrunk to far more manageable levels. I’d even call it a thoughtful flow, if it weren’t for some questionable choices in the lineup. Sidebar, whenever I link to my own shit, it’s mainly so I can keep track of running topics. There’s no expectation that you’ll re-read anything–heaven help you if you do–and were I savvier, I’d properly tag my posts, but I don’t subscribe to such Internet witchcraft.

Television programming has been a mixed bag lately. Bones and Fringe continue to deliver, and when lighter fare is needed, Modern Family ably compensates for whatever new deficiencies Office and Sunny inflict on a weekly basis. I’ve also turned to movies to supplement my media intake. The Social Network was excellent, yet another testament to how David Fincher can make two-plus hours feel so compact. I’ve also picked up new vocabulary from The Other Guys. Let’s just say that the next time I volunteer at a soup kitchen, I will need to verify time, place, and activity before going. The Bourne trilogy has also been called upon for another run.

My poorer media choices revolve around the Xbox. Dead Space 2 is out. It may sound familiar because of the classy advertisement that’s been making its way through the airwaves. Horror generally raises my stress level. I’m subjected, for lack of a better phrase, to psychic bruising every time I consume it, and still I’m drawn to the series. I’m even replaying the first one, simply so I can appreciate any back references in the sequel. It’s sick, frankly. That said, while I’m fully aware of my choices, I’m not entirely sure what those moms in the commercial were thinking. Did they simply wander into the wrong room? What kind of focus group were they expecting? Did the door not have a placard on it with Dead Space 2? Perhaps they were tricked into this situation, told their opinions were needed for an unspecified video game, and by the time they realized what was happening, it was, like, “No, I don’t think this is the one where you dance in front of the teevee. I don’t see any dancing at all, in fact.”