Too much 24

I had a bit of a tummy bug this last week. Bored and cooped up I decided to watch some of my DVDs ... maybe a couple of episodes or three of 24. Yeah right! It is not actually possible to watch just a couple of episodes!

Even on the third repeat viewing (that is the fourth viewing overall) the stories are compulsively watchable. Even though I can now see the gaping flaws in the premises. There are places where information is sought and obtained in a couple of minutes and where an individual is stated to be the only lead (justifying torture - which almost never works BTW) when there are several. There are also times where satellite archive images are checked, and where this is not tried - like star trek transporter malfunctions isolating the ship despite the presence of shuttlecraft. Nobody seems to use the toilet all day, except Cloe, once, to mislead someone. Perhaps they go in the ad breaks or when the focus is on someone else? Perhaps their dedication to duty is that strong?

The later seasons gradually get sillier. There are several crises sometimes, where there is a short break between and CTU or whoever start acting like its all over ... but they don't change shifts, like they want to be there all day or something. It would be reasonable to change over, and I think that is what I would have done for one of the seasons, for better drama. Imagine, you think its over, initiate an overdue shift change, then Jack calls in with the complication.

But its great fun.

I see season 7 is on DVD now, at $90 ... that's too much for me right now, I'll have to wait.

On the movie front, it has all been DVD rentals. Finally seen The Lost Boys and Phone Booth ... both with Keifer Sutherland. TLB still works well, even if the hip-vampire gang now come across more camp than cool (the glam-rock look has aged). Phone Booth got bad reviews but I sorta liked it - the premise (a psycho sniper using terror to "help" people) is silly and the characterisations cartoon, but cartoons are fun and the movie does not try to be anything serious.

Also saw and liked Daybreakers. I found it a competent dark comedy - it finishes with the minority humans going round infecting vampires with mortality. Cute. Not many films have dealt with the whole "the monsters have taken over" theme - and most do it badly (see "I am Legend"). It is still difficult for movie makers to portray humanity triumphing as a bad thing.