New Obsessions

It's been a while since my last post, I know, but I take comfort in the fact that almost nobody reads my blog, so no one's disappointed (if you are, please address any complaints to the unfairness department of the universe - I've been busy!). To recap all that's happened since July: many books have been read, birthdays have been had, trips have been taken, Halloweens have been celebrated (I was a Ghostbuster), work has piled up and become more crazy than ever (hence the lack of posts, which were few and far between to begin with).

To the important things: new stuff to geek out over.

I love Netflix. It's the closest thing I have to an organized religion. It offers so many opportunities to discover new frontiers of awesomeness, at least as far as movies and TV shows are concerned. So here's the scoop on the new stuff that I absolutely love:

Supernatural


Yes, I know. Finally. The series has been in my queue forever, but it was a hit! I'm a notorious wimp when it comes to horror, but this show has episodes that are genuinely scary. For the most part, it's well-written and actors do a lovely job, and are not bad to look at! I wasn't planning on buying the series until I reached Season 4, however. It was good, but nothing I felt needed to be part of my vast DVD library. The fourth season changed all that when (spoiler alert) Dean was raised from Hell by angels. A particular angel, in fact. Castiel (love him!). The introduction of angels as the flip side of the demon coin was a fantastic move, as far as I'm concerned. It introduced a grander meta-plot and went in many different and interesting directions. The fifth season continued with the Winchester brothers' quest to avert the Apocalypse, which they started (whoops!). And now, I'm watching the sixth season on TV. Bravo, Supernatural. I rarely follow shows that closely. I wait for the DVDs.

Avatar: The Last Airbender


Relax, people. I'm not talking about the awful dump M. Night Shyamalan took to the tune of forty million dollars and the disappointment of fans everywhere (fans of Avatar, I mean. I can't imagine that fans of Shyamalan still exist). I'm talking about the beautifully animated series. Wow! I wasn't expecting it to be this good, because let's face it: many of the TV shows geared towards kids these days really suck. I was proven wrong (I love it when that happens!). Good scripts, good characters, good animation - and the plot was conceived in advance and had a concrete ending. In contrast, the live-action film was so bad that two of my brothers called me as soon as they left the movie theatre (and they didn't see it together) to tell me, in no uncertain terms, NOT to see the movie. They never call me, so it must have been pretty bad.

Sherlock

This is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved character in a modern, urban setting, and it's absolutely fantastic! Benedict Cumberbatch (yes, that is his real name. He's British) is able to bring an almost frantic enthusiasm for detecting to the character that I find lacking in many other portrayals. And Martin Freeman gives us a classic Doctor Watson with a nice, subtle hint of a desire he shares with Sherlock Holmes: the desire for action, mayhem, and murder. I love the way that this show brought elements from the stories and incorporated them in these modern mysteries. Sadly, this first season ended in a major cliff-hanger, and I have no idea when to expect to see the second season. Curse you, BBC, with your well-done and strangely formatted television!

So those are a few of my newest nerdy obsessions. I highly recommend them.