iPod Information

Like a good little entertainment nerd, I have an iPod. Accordingly, I spend maybe too much time snooping around iTunes. However, in my travels I've found some amazing things I'd like to point you in the direction of. The TV shows can also be found in your local listings.

TV Shows:
One of the things people are the most surprised by is that you can download full-length, commercial free episodes of some of your favorites. Nearly every channel is listed with some part of their content. Some of my favorites I'll list with the network listing beside it.

Schoolhouse Rock (ABC)
This is probably going to date me more than I care to admit, but I remember when this was on Saturday mornings in between cartoons. These are short little animated songs that talking about everything from numbers to civics. When you're singing "Lolly, lolly, lolly get your adverbs here", please accept my deepest apologies.

The Most Extreme (Animal Planet)
I found this show by accident, but it's really interesting. It's also handy if you happen to have a report to write about animals. It lists animals by intelligence, strength, and speed and makes it pretty clear that we humans don't make the grade by comparison. (My cats have been right all along.)

Great Women (Biography)
While there hasn't been a special on our fearless editor yet, this show is an interesting look at some famous and infamous women throughout history. These are women who shaped the world around us, and worth learning about.

MythBusters (The Discovery Channel)
A lot has been done in the name of science. However, it's never been done in quite the way Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman do on this show. Taking three urban legends on, they put the stories to the test. Literally. Thanks to over 30 years of special effects experience, they know how to proof or disprove the myth. The cool part though is that they don't just prove it, they show you how it's done.

Shark Week (The Discovery Channel)
One of the best, and scariest, weeks on television can be found here as you get into the water with some of the planet's most deadly hunters. You learn the science of what makes a shark tick, and hear from survivors of attacks.


Audio Books:
Sometimes it's not all that easy to find time to read. Thanks to the nice people at iTunes, you can take it with you in a whole new way. You'll find authors from C.S. Lewis, to Lemony Snicket here and while they're a little more expensive than a TV show...books are good for you. I PROMISE!

Celebrity Playlists:
Ever wondered what sort of music your favorite celebrity enjoys? Here's a good place to start. Celebrities listed include Anderson Cooper, Josh Lucas, Mike Shinoda, and Jack Black. You also get to hear why they like the song and how it might inspire them personally. Though it amuses me to no end that Jerry Bruckheimer apparently likes 50 Cent.

Movie Trailers:
While you can find pretty much any movie trailer on line for free, you can also have it with you on your iPod. The trailers include current and recent releases along with films coming out on DVD.


-Jenn Untch
Liberty, Missouri
jennuntch@yahoo.com
Is there a movie you'd like me to review? Let me know!

How To Eat Fried Worms

-Directed by: Bob Dolman

Starring:
-Luke Benward, Adam Hicks, Hallie Kate Eisenberg

Before we get into this too far, I should warn those of you with a weak stomach not to go see this movie. I normally can tolerate a lot during the course of a film, but this even grossed me out a little. However, it makes sense considering the topic. Worms. Worms, worms and more worms.
Ok, for those of you who didn't immediately turn green, we'll continue.

Based on the classic, and really entertaining, book by Thomas Rockwell, this was a movie destined to be made. I mean, how can you let a title like this one pass by without snatching up the movie rights and grossing the living daylights out of parents everywhere? I have to think the nice folks at New Line got a good chuckle. To their credit though, they didn't hold back in any part of the making of this film and you wind up with a movie that's awfully good.

The story is based around Billy, a kid whose family just moved to town and who is more than a little nervous about starting at a new school. It turns out that he has a good reason to be. The class is the victim of Joe, a bully with more attitude than a Sherman Tank. After Joe stuff Billy's thermos full of worms, the challenge is made and the creativity ensues. You feel a lot of heart through this movie, and it's done just tastefully enough that you don't feel like you need to go to the dentist. You see kids standing up to what scares them, and adults doing the same. An important message no matter how old you are.

The film has a realness to it that I liked. While you watched a lot of food get made with worms as a primary ingredient, you also saw the kids get creative to solve a problem. The filmmakers were careful though not to turn this into a Harry Potter-esque adventure. These were real kids and they dealt with things in real ways.

The star of the show is Luke Benward as Billy. He's a cute kid, with a tremendous screen presence and makes a likable hero for this film. You want him to succeed, and at the same time do the right thing. He might remind you of a friend, or your little brother. Though, if anyone offers you a smoothie that smells weird? Turn it down. You'll be better for it.

How To Eat Fried Worms is in theaters now.
Picture courtesy Yahoo! Movies.


-Jenn Untch
Liberty, Missouri
indigojenn at earthlink dot net
Is there a movie you'd like me to review? Let me know!

Material Girls

-Directed by: Martha Coolidge

Starring:
-Hilary Duff, Haylie Duff, Anjelica Huston, Brent Spiner

So here's how it went. I looked at the recent openings and saw information about this movie. Hey, I thought, being a saavy movie geek that I am, the woman who directed The Prince and Me has put out a new film. Cool, I'll get right down and have a look. Well, it was a nice idea in theory.

The reasons why I didn't like this movie begin with the director. Coolidge was sleeping through this one and it shows in the plodding pace of the movie and the really annoying performances by the Duff sisters. Haylie, who plays Ava, was over the top the entire time. She was constantly talking and you got the sense she'd had too much sugar. Hilary, as Tanzie, seems like she's trying not to look overly offended at the entire situation. Much like her character.

What surprised the heck out of me was the presence of Anjelica Huston. Considered one of the greats in film, this Oscar winner deserved better than this movie. It was a breeze for her and she clearly out performed the Duff siblings.

And then there's all the other problems. This movie has some pretty harsh language considering it's a PG rating. When it makes your intrepid reviewer pause, then maybe that's a sign of something? There's also suggestions that dressing immodestly can get a person what they want, and that drinking and smoking are in fashion.

The bottom line here is that it's just not something you should waste your money on. It's crass, lame and actually kind of offensive. Go rent a movie. You'll like it a whole lot more.

(Photo provided by Yahoo! Movies)

-Jenn Untch
Liberty, Missouri
jennuntch@yahoo.com
Is there a movie you'd like me to review? Let me know!

A First Look: Happy Feet

-Directed by: George Miller

Starring:
-Robin Williams, Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Nicole Kidman
-Hugo Weaving, Hugh Jackman

The first trailer I saw of this movie was one of a little penguin that sounded suspiciously like Robin Williams singing on top of a mountain. At the time, I had no idea what this movie was about but I thought it looked like fun. Hey, it's Robin Williams in a kid's movie...how bad could it be? Ah, but now I have things to share and an early recommendation for you to put on your dancing shoes.

Happy Feet is the story of Mumble, a penguin who finds himself gifted in ways unlike anything his family has ever seen. He can dance! His family, horrified by the idea, sends him away and he winds up finding his place and his footing in a whole new way. The cast includes Elijah Wood and Hugo Weaving from Lord of the Rings, along with Austrailian superstars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman and it just looks like a lot of fun.

Besides, who knew flightless waterfowl had soul? (Or could carry a tune.)

Happy Feet-Official Website

Happy Feet opens November 17th.
(Picture of Mumble provided by Yahoo! Movies.)

-Jenn Untch
Liberty, Missouri
jennuntch@yahoo.com
Is there a movie you'd like me to review? Let me know!

Fall TV Season-A Jen Girl's Guide

Television is tricky business. What's worth you time, and when should you grab a book? Well, here's my picks for some of the standouts from the networks. It's not a complete list mostly because some of the shows I couldn't really recommend without a lot of disclaimers. So, here's the best of the bunch with my comments about each.

The CW (Formerly UPN and The WB)

This is what happens when two networks that weren't doing all that well on their own get together. What also happens is some of the better shows on TV finally get a chance to get the audience they richly deserve.

Mondays:
7th Heaven: Now, I'm not sure what the nice people at the CW did but this show is back after bidding loyal viewers a fond farewell. It's a show worth your time due to the realistic view of families dealing with contemporary issues and solving things through a strong family dynamic and plain old communication. It deals with things like premarital sex and pregnancy though, so keep in mind that when I say contemporary I really do mean it. The show also deals with issues of social tolerance and diversity with a graceful sense of style that people today could take a lesson from.

Tuesdays:
Gilmore Girls: One of my favorites on the network, and a standout overall..The Girlmore Girls is a story about a single mother raising the child she had as a teenager and how mother and daughter have grown up together. It's a cleverly written show and one of the few that has strong female leads. Both Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham are standouts almost every season for Emmy consideration, and their on-screen chemistry is both charming and funny. This is a show that has some language issues that bear consideration though. It has also handled issues of sex, drinking, and divorce. Also, check out Rory's Book Club if you'd like to get literate like Rory Gilmore.

It's a short, sad list. A lot of the reason why many popular shows like Lost, Grey's Anatomy, and CSI were left off is because of content. All three shows can get quite graphic and just plain inappropriate for the standards of the church. Now you know why I stick to movies and science fiction.


-Jenn Untch
Liberty, Missouri
jennuntch@yahoo.com

Channel Surfing: Eureka

-Directed by: Michael Lange, Jefery Levy

Starring:
-Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Jordan Hinson, Joe Morton

For a lot of the summer, the nice people at the Sci-Fi Channel had been in what could politely be described as advertising overkill for their show Eureka. Almost every time I turned around I was seeing yet another commercial. What stuck in my mind though was that as far as commercials went, these were pretty slick. So, on premiere night I tuned in like a good little media junkie and got something of a mixed blessing. Why am I bringing this to you now then? Well some things improve with time. This is one of them.

Taken from the "confidential" town history from SciFi.com.

As World War II came to a close with mushroom clouds over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the impact that science and technology would have on the continued security of our world became catastrophically apparent. America nearly lost the race to build the atomic bomb; it could not risk such a close call again.

With the help of Albert Einstein and other trusted advisors, President Harry S. Truman commissioned a top-secret residential development in a remote area of the Pacific Northwest, one that would serve to protect and nurture America's most valuable intellectual resources. There our nation's greatest thinkers, the über-geniuses working on the next era of scientific achievement, would be able to live and work in a supportive environment. The best architects and planners were commissioned to design a welcoming place for these superlative geniuses to reside, an area that would offer the best education for their children, the best healthcare, the best amenities and quality of life. A community was created to rival the most idyllic of America's small towns — with one major difference: this town would never appear on any maps. At least, none that haven't been classified "eyes only" by the Pentagon.

Thus, the town of Eureka was born. But for all its familiar, small-town trappings, things in this secret hamlet are anything but ordinary. The stereotype of the absent-minded professor exists for a reason, and most of the quantum leaps in science and technology during the past 50 years were produced by Eureka's elite researchers. Unfortunately, scientific exploration is rarely what one expects, and years of experiments gone awry have yielded some peculiar by-products.

From unrequited love to professional jealousy, from addiction to depression, the problems of Eureka's townsfolk stem from life's myriad of everyday challenges. But with the population's unique talents, troubled psyches and limitless resources, these small-town concerns have a way of becoming big-time problems. It is at that intersection, where human frailty and super-science collide, that Eureka begins….

And where it began was with U.S. Marshall Jack Carter bringing his fairly bratty daughter Zoe home after she 'd run away. When a local canine "hazard" runs into the road, Carter and Zoe are run off the road and that's when things get a little complicated. Now, I should say this. I did like the pilot. I liked it a lot with one thing really bothering me. In the first episode, Zoe sounds like a truck driver with some of her language. I get that the "typical" teenager swears, but come on now. There's a limit. Since then though, the language has improved to the normal level of TV programming so you can watch it without cringing.

One of the first things I liked about this show was the cast. Led by Colin Ferguson as Jack Carter, the cast is smartly put together and armed with writing that will leave you snickering. Ferguson also makes the whole "fish out of water" scenario believable with his reactions to some of the amazing things he sees in his new job. There's also the special effects. Now, for a town filled with super geniuses, you'd assume there'd be some really sweet gadgets. This show comes up with things I will confess that I really do want. (Wall sized TV screen? Sign me up.) It also gives a fairly necessary object lesson. Science can be a benefit to society, but it can also be a hazard when greed gets in the way of discovery, or when things flat get out of hand.

As far as summer TV goes, this is a show you should check out. It's the right mix of fun and drama that will keep you tuning in to see what else the fine folks in Eureka can think of next.


-Jenn Untch
Liberty, Missouri
jennuntch@yahoo.com