Tag: TV

Finishing Ken Burns’ The American Revolution

The series is complete. As a nation the question remains open.

We completed watching Ken Burn’s excellent The American Revolution this week. Thank goodness for streaming, allowing us to view it on our schedule. Two spoiler alerts. First, we won the war. Second, we’re still struggling with many of the differences that made the formation (and perhaps the continuation) of what would become the Untied States such a close thing. 

 The series is excellent and I highly recommend it. Burns and his team do their expected thorough job of researching and producing the documentary. We’re lucky there were so many letters written by those beneath the status of the cast of characters most of us could identify at a glance, because that material provides much of the content and texture inside the frame. 

The production does it’s job so well that my hunch is some will come away learning things they never knew about a period of our history we’ve wrapped in so many myths it would keep troops at Valley Forge warm. I would also guess that in today’s political and social climate there will be far too many who tune out or don’t tune in because they prefer the comfort of the mythology. 

Which is a damned shame. As I said in an earlier post about the series:

I’m not hearing things differently, but I’m hearing how folks can take their own meaning out of many of the things written and said during that period that led to this country’s founding. History may indeed rhyme, but it also echoes. Often in strange ways.

If you have followed any of Burns’ work you know his approach to American history is to tell the parts of stories we leave out of the picture. I grew up in a part of the country where you could turn your head left or right, spit, and hit the history of the American Revolution or the Civil War. I count myself lucky that my 10th grade history teacher kept reminding us that there was so much more to discover about our past than he had the time to teach us, planting a seed of curiosity that continues to grow inside of me to this day decades later. 

Ken Burns and his team continue to keep that curiosity growing. We should all be grateful and unafraid that they do so.

You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.

Watching Ken Burns’ The American Revolution

Context is everything

Started watching Ken Burns’ The American Revolution last night. It sounds almost trite, but it’s typical Ken Burns (and his collaborators) historical documentary excellence.

The american revolution film by ken burns 1280x720 1 600x338.

What struck me is how I’m hearing things I’ve read and heard over and over again about the period leading up to the American Revolution. So far, (only two episodes in) the history is as I studied it. And by studying it, I mean well below the surface of the myths folks of my generation were taught in school.

I’m not hearing things differently, but I’m hearing how folks can take their own meaning out of many of the things written and said during that period that led to this country’s founding. History may indeed rhyme, but it also echoes. Often in strange ways.

That’s certainly true if all you hang your tri-cornered hat on are the myths.

You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.

Apple TV+ Price Increase and the Dummy Price

Death, taxes, and subscription price increases

Times have changed how money changes hands. Back in the day purchasing a subscription meant you got a deal. It also created a relationship between the customer and the service, that often, but not always, protected subscribers from price increases. At least for a time. That really no longer exists. Sure there are deals and free trials to seduce new customers, but typically those deals are for a period of time and then the price goes up. It’s changed the definition of what we used to call “the dummy price.”

CleanShot 2025-08-21 at 10.45.50@2x.

“The dummy price” was for those who didn’t subscribe, thus paying full price. We used to joke in the theatre biz that “the dummy price” was for the guy who’s wife told him she wanted to see a show, and then he’d have his secretary use his credit card to buy the tickets when he got to the office.

When we had to raise prices we’d do so on single tickets and reward our subscribers by telling them we’d keep their current prices intact, thus increasing their savings and further building trust in relationship. That made it a bit easier sell when we inevitably had to raise subscription prices.

It was similar to buying the newspaper each day, instead of subscribing. A subscription was always cheaper than the newsstand price.

The only thing I think I subscribe to these days that actually offers any type of real savings is an E-ZPass, which in my state cuts the cost you pay at the toll booth by 50%.

Of course those are different markets than streaming entertainment, which didn’t exist when I was setting “dummy prices.” Subscriptions for streaming entertainment only gets you access. Certainly a lot of content is available for the price you pay, but realistically it’s more than anyone could ever consume. But the promise is access. The quantity makes much of the content as disposable as it is available, even if it is cheaper than back in the day when you had to purchase physical or digital media in order to view it at home.

The only thing you’re really buying is the inevitable price increase and a bit more frustration in balancing out your entertainment budget.

The new definition of “the dummy price” is hoping there are enough customers who don’t pay attention and miss the price increase.

Apple announced today it’s increasing its monthly subscription price for its streaming entertainment service, Apple TV+ from $9.99 to $12.99 a month. Other streaming services do the same thing, more frequently than Apple. But every player in the market affects the perception of all the rest.

It’s led to a sort of comedic game for consumers who want to stream from different services. They cancel a service for a period of time, often waiting for new content to become abundantly available or a particularly desired title, and then they’ll resubscribe after canceling another service. Or they’ll just keep creating new email accounts, resubscribing under a new name.

Currently the streaming companies seem to be comfortable enough with this type of customer churn, but it builds more attraction to titles than it does to a service’s brand, which in turn drives up the marketing costs for each new title. I imagine at some point streaming companies will find a way to clamp down and try to minimize that churn, the same way they have done with password sharing.

But the subscription game is not just an entertainment industry business practice. There are quite a few services that want your monthly tithe and offer the same kind of price inducements. But it’s certainly easier to cancel Netflix for a period of time than it is some of these other types of services once the inevitable price increase comes along. It will be interesting to see how the AI market shakes out once the first big company needs to break the $20 a month barrier for general consumers.

Bottom line it’s a shell game for both customers and companies. Death and taxes used to be the only constants in that old axiom about the only things certain in life. That needs to be amended to include price increases for subscription services.

You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

Andor, Or We Are The Heroes We Need

Echoing Tina Turner

The ever expanding universe of the Star Wars franchise is one that often leaves me colder than I imagine I’d feel if I were floating alone in space. That’s the same with most of these run the IP into the ground franchises. When something comes out of those factories that’s actually decent, it’s a surprise. One of the surprising beacons of warmth has been the Andor series, which is currently streaming in its second season. I’m also a fan of the movie Rogue One for which Andor is a prequel.

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Yes, the story is about the rebel rebellion against the Empire, but there’s something different about Andor. Recently I read a piece from Derek Pharr on Nerdist, Hope Without The Force: How Andor Rewrites Rebellion. It helped me put my finger on why the show feels different and surprisingly current beyond the scope of small screen entertainment.

Here’s a quote:

Andor makes the quiet argument that the Jedi weren’t just irrelevant to the uprising against the Empire. They were liabilities and detached from everyday suffering. The Jedi were fixated with balance and prophecy, and wildly ineffective at stopping fascism when it counted. The Jedi Order had their shot. They blew it. Meanwhile, on Ferrix and Narkina 5, regular people are building the rebellion through sweat, sacrifice, and solidarity. Not the Force.

Whether you are a fan of the series or not, I encourage you to read the entire piece. Pharr’s thesis is indeed a good one about the series. But for me it spins off into many of the challenging moments we face today in the wake of our own evolving evil empire. One that’s certainly not intelligently designed, much less preordained.

Bottom line, it’s going to come down to those of us on the ground.

I think we need to eternalize and begin acting on that instead of waiting around and looking for heroes among congress critters, political parties, media mouthpieces, TV lawyers and those at the bar, or even judges to come to the rescue. We know what’s ahead is going to continue to get uglier. We’re probably going to have to meet ugly with a little ugly ourselves. Cue Tina Turner’s We Don’t Need Another Hero.

As Pharr puts it,

The Jedi were legends. The rebellion was real.

No elegant solutions from a more civilized age. Just people. Flawed, desperate, courageous people, who decide enough is enough.

He also argues that noble as they were, the Jedi were spectacularly bad at saving things in their attempts to reclaim balance. I don’t know about you, but that sounds frighteningly familiar.

Read Pharr’s piece if and when you watch Andor. If you don’t watch the show, read the piece anyway.

Pie in the sky? Perhaps. But I’ll take a serving and ask for seconds.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

A Wonderful Trip Down Memory Lane With SNL50 Special

A terrific funny walk through comedy history.

I’ve blown hot and cold with Saturday Night Live through the decades. That said, watching the SNL 50th Anniversary Special was a wonderful nostalgic trip down several memory lanes. How to Stream the SNL 50th Anniversary Special Online for Free MAIN. Like the series itself the evening had its ups, its downs, and its moments of mediocrity, but taken as a whole it was a keystone event chronicling a key cultural touchstone in entertainment history that’s been in and out of my life since the year after I graduated high school. I remember the first time I saw the show, well into its first season, and remarking in a bit of awe that they can’t do that on TV. Well, they did. And I’m glad they did. Like I said, I’ve blown hot and cold through the years, but having been around show biz for the majority of my life I know there are more misfires than there are direct hits. Even so, you certainly can’t deny the cultural impact the show has had and that’s a credit to both longevity and the willingness to fail and flail. While I’m sure some of the sketches from the special will be criticized for not landing, the fact that some did and some didn’t seems like the perfect celebration of walking that fine line. The good news for those who might not have tuned into the broadcast is that you don’t have to wait around for highlights to appear on YouTube as the entire special (over 3.5 hours) is available for streaming. You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

My Picks of the Year for 2024

Complex pieces, whether successful or not, dominate my end of year list for 2024

2024 was a complex year on many fronts in my life. We moved. Politics and culture seemed to daily turn the world upside down and inside out. And for some reason the movies, TV, and books I enjoyed the most were, while not necessarily the top of class, very complex.

I certainly didn’t see or consume everything during the year. Heading into the holiday movie release schedule I found myself thinking it had been a better year for streaming TV than it had for movies. I think that still holds. Some titles may have been released prior to 2024, but they didn’t cross my radar until this year soon to pass, so they get included.

For the record I don’t believe in “Best of.” As I continue to say, there’s too much good being created by too many good (and some not so good) folks out there, that I pick what attracts and holds my attention.

This year that leaned towards complex pieces that may or may not have been utterly successful. There’s also just some well done entertainment. There is still lots of mediocrity out there, but here’s the complex cream that rose to the top of my list. If I wrote something about the titles, there will be a link.

Movies

Streaming TV

Other Video

I’m not sure where to put YouTube videos on this list, but this presentation of Ubu and The Truth Commission by the Handspring Puppet Company was high on my list of favorite viewing this year.

Books

  • James by Percival Everett
  • The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich
  • Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
  • On Freedom by Timothy Snyder
  • The Freaks Came Out To Write by Tricia Romano
  • Infinite Detail by by Tim Maughan

Apps

Either I’m slowing down or software App development is. There’s only one new App that landed on my devices that I would recommend:

  • Croissant. A social media cross-posting app by Ben McCarthy and Aaron Veigh. It’s still got some quirks, but it is handy enough that I use it frequently hoping they’ll work the kinks out.

Have a Happy New Year!

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

Sound and Fury with Apple TV Enhance Dialogue

Apple TV’s Enhance Dialogue works well until it doesn’t.

Apple introduced a feature I was very much looking forward to trying out this fall for tvOS 18. It’s called Enhance Dialogue. The theory behind the feature is simple: enhance the dialogue of what you’re watching so you can hear it. When my wife and I initially tested it we were quite pleased with the feature. But last night there was some weirdness.

Like so many features Apple (and others) release, new things seem to work out of the box. But then as updates rollout and things burn in, a bit of oddness creeps in.

Last night we were watching the finale of the Apple TV+ series Disclaimer. Things were rolling along just fine and then towards the end of the episode we stopped hearing dialogue. Characters became silent film stars and mimes with moving mouths, but no sound of dialogue was coming out. Underscoring continued.

Initially we thought this might be an artistic choice (a poor one.) What was happening in the story as it headed to its conclusion and then denouement could reasonably be understood without dialogue. But a tertiary character behind a nurse’s station uttered one line of dialogue, breaking the silence, and then immediately we went back to a silent film again.

I shouldn’t say completely silent. Background noises and conversations from background characters were coming through as ambience over the underscoring. Then a few moments later we heard some of the dialogue, but it was muffled and echo-y as though picked up by a distant microphone or layered on top in post of what we were supposed to be hearing. Every now and then we’d occasionally get those clear, one line bursts of dialogue. The conclusion I reached after this whole thing was over is that those lines in the clear must have been overdubbed and the muffled lines were due to be enhanced later.

We paused the episode and I turned on subtitles, revealing that there was indeed dialogue being spoken. We stopped the episode and tried again. Same result. I then went back to settings and turned off Enhance Dialogue. Voila. We were able to hear all the dialogue again.

I know lots of things are going on in the backend at Apple has they continue to roll out betas at a crazy pace trying to play catch up in the Artificial Intelligence game. I’ve written before on how this can have an effect on even non-beta users. What’s puzzling to me is that this doesn’t seem like a feature that should be affected by backend services. Perhaps I’m wrong. But we’ve watched several shows without this issue since first turning on Enhance Dialogue.

Here’s the thing. In my opinion, both the visual and audio elements of film making have pushed new technology envelopes a bit too far. We shouldn’t need a feature to enhance dialogue to overcome bad sound mixes that try to be as realistic, or unrealistic, as possible in the same way that we should still be able to view actors in dark scene. If you can’t see or hear the story, what’s the point of the story, or the technology? Sound and fury signifying not much.

Then again, I get it. Artists will tell you they are trying to make things look and sound as real as possible, or craft an environment that is all encompassing with all of the elements at their disposal. Too often they get carried away and lose us to ineffective story telling.

I had planned to write up a blog post saying how much the Enhance Dialogue feature was a winner after some success with the new feature. I can’t say for sure that there is direct causation between the new Enhance Dialogue feature and the dialogue dropout we experienced. I will say, that it’s easy to point a finger of correlation after new features are released and something, anything goes awry. For now, I’ll leave it as the Enhance Dialogue feature looks like it could possibly be a winner in our household. If it works as advertised. All the time. Every time.

I will also say again that if filmmakers did their jobs correctly this wouldn’t be necessary except for those watching who might need assistive technology. In my opinion, if story tellers start relying on this feature to be present (I know it exists on many smart TVs,) it will be to the detriment of their craft and artistry.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

My Picks Of The Year for 2023

Here’s a list of my favorites of the year in entertainment, books, apps, and a favorite gadget purchase for good measure. I don’t believe in “Best of.” There’s too much good being created by too many good (and some not so good) folks out there, that I just pick favorites. Lots of mediocrity out there, but here’s the cream that rose to the top of my list, though I certainly didn’t see or consume everything.

Movies

  • Oppenheimer
  • Barbie
  • Maestro
  • FinestKind
  • Blackberry

TV and Streaming

  • The Bear
  • Mrs. Davis
  • Drops of God
  • Silo
  • Slow Horses
  • Fargo
  • The Fall of the House of Usher
  • The Last of Us
  • Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl Shorts on Netflix

These films and streaming shows mentioned above contained some outstanding performances by Carey Mulligan in Maestro and Emily Blunt and Robert Downey, Jr in Oppenheimer. As for Oppenheimer all the hype was about the big boom. I loved it more for the explosive intimacy of the brilliant film making in the human moments. Brilliant acting from that entire ensemble. Also, episodes 7 and 8 of Season 2 of The Bear were two or the richest small screen viewing experiences I think I’ve ever experienced. Masterpiece work.

Books

  • Prequel by Rachel Maddow
  • Undertow by Jeff Sharlett
  • Sapiens Yual Noah Harari
  • The Kingdom, The Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in the Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta
  • The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

Apps and Software

  • Paste. A terrific clipboard manager.
  • It’s an update to the iPhone, but The Action Button
  • Ivory. A Mastodon client.
  • IceCubes. Another Mastodon client.
  • Mona. Yet another Mastodon client.
  • Bartender 5 (It’s an update to an oldie, but always goodie)
  • The Double Tap Gesture on the “Is it legal or not legal?” Apple Watch

Gadget Purchase of the Year

GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000) Travel Router. Excellent, powerful travel router in a tiny package that belies its size. Helps extend WiFi and provides on board VPN protection while traveling. A huge winner in a small package.

Here’s hoping you enjoy your New Year!

The Bear Christmas Episode

We’re late to season two of The Bear. It’s a fantastic show we’ve loved since season one. You can find it on Hulu. I highly recommend you do. We finally tuned in this week and we’re damn glad we did, mad we waited so long, and wishing this show would never end.

The bear season 2 seven fishes christmas meal meaning

The writing, the acting and the direction are top notch. Some of the best TV you’ll discover and more than worth your time. At times a little too much in your face for my tastes, but I get it and it more than makes sense. If you haven’t discovered the show yet, do start with season one and allow yourself the pleasure of that before diving into season two.

No spoilers here, but let me just say this. The Christmas episode, Fishes, is without question one of the most amazing pieces of TV I think I’ve ever seen. there is more tension and comedy crammed into each moment that it makes the overstuffed and crowded kitchen seem spacious.  The story telling is unreal good given the large ensemble cast. And the ensemble playing amongst a bevy of heavyweight guest stars is just mesmerizing. It’s difficult to find the words to describe Jamie Lee Curtis’s performance. It will blow you away. Mix that in with the powerful ensemble playing of the rest of the cast, the level of detail, and this is a gift of bounty for any season.

Just see it. See it all.