Coach potato summer

Well, it's midway through the summer (culturally, summer runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day) and true to form, we have become absolutely perfect coach potatoes, sitting in air-conditioned comfort, watching TV, Don knitting and me doing Sudoku puzzles, with an occasional bowl of ice cream (Breyer's Vanilla smothered with Hershey's Syrup) or a tall frosty beer to assuage hunger and thirst. Here's what we've been watching:

1) Season 2 of Foyle's War: The shows are getting predictable and the padded-out feeling is getting worse, but the characters are developing nicely, with a romance beginning between Foyle's hot son and Foyle's cute driver. Foyle's hot assistant, played by Anthony Howell (see pic at right), is also getting a subplot of his own concerning his troubled marriage. These shows make it seem like everyone in England in 1940 was either a Nazi sympathizer, a black marketeer, or ready to surrender to Hitler, so the tone of the shows is rather bleak. I think, however, that I need to let a little time pass before I borrow season 3 from the library.

2) Game shows: But, damn it, GSN has both of our favorites, Lingo and Chain Reaction, in reruns at the same time. We're still watching them (and Jeopardy) most nights, but I'm going to have Dylan Lane withdrawal soon. We gave GSN's new show Camouflage a shot, but it's old-fashioned (and not in an ironically retro way) and not very compelling--contestants finding words within words and phrases--and the host feels like second-string material, though Dylan Lane and Chuck Woolery are hard acts to follow.

3) DVDs: I'm pumpin' thru the Netflix discs. The latest was Army of Shadows, a 1969 French film about the Resistance during WWII; it was released here in the States for the first time last year and got rave reviews, but I found it slow and uninspiring. Yes, it's more realistic than the slick, upbeat Hollywood war films of the 40's, and it has a very good performance by Simone Signoret, but I got bogged down and had to split my viewing over two days. The downbeat ending feels honest and right, but it's not a film I'd revisit.

4) Harry Potter: I'm not a fan, but in the name of domestic calm, I go with my honey to see the movies. The latest, Order of the Phoenix, was perfectly fine, and gets extra points from me for being the shortest Potter film yet. Daniel Radcliffe has grown into a very attractive young man, and all the kids are getting stronger as actors. Not enough Maggie Smith for my taste, surprisingly little Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), and a smidge too much Gary Oldman, but still quite watchable. Don is in the middle of the 17-disc audio book of Deathly Hallows, but I'll wait for the movie a few years hence.