Overrated - TV Show - Survivor

I don't watch a lot of reality TV. I do remember, though, when it first started to become popular, how much I got into Survivor. I remember watching it way back when in 2000, and I loved it. My friends and I would take turns watching it in each others' basements. It was great, I even won the pool we had going about who the winner would be (always naked Richard, ugh). I remember liking it for one main reason: it seemed like a real physical challenge. People starved, had to survive rainstorms with no shelter, and had gross sand fleas. Oh, and they had to put up with a bunch of really weird people.

I don't know how it happened, but I started watching Survivor again this year. Cancelling my cable probably helped. I hate it, but I can't look away.

 Pictured: "Surviving"





My biggest problem is that my main reason for loving it years and years ago is gone.  It seems like there is no surviving! Every other challenge is centered around food! There's no need to hunt or scavenge because there are so many food companies sponsoring challenges.

Also (and I feel silly even bringing this up as a critique of a reality show), there's so much stupid drama. At this point I'm probably being redundant, but Survivor and reality TV in general just seems so overrated. Where is the entertainment in watching people fight and talk, talk and then fight, and then maybe talk some more about how hurt they are that other people want to win the show. I don't mind scheming and plotting, that can be fun to watch, but everyone takes everything so personally. The goal is to win, and everyone wants to win. So many of the people act so insulted all the time without the excuse of being physically drained. I don't understand it.

Underrated - TV Shows - Freaks and Geeks

Freaks and Geeks was on sporadically for one season from 1999-2000. Because of this, I ended up watching it on DVD. It's one of the sweetest, silliest, funniest shows I've ever seen.  There are 18 episodes, and each one is well thought out thematically and acted perfectly.

It takes place in the early 1980s and follows two groups of teens: the "Freaks" (comprised of disenchanted stoners and school-skippers) and the "Geeks" (awkward Freshman who love Star Wars and can't figure out how to fit in).  The show had Judd Apatow (40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up) as a writer and director for many episodes, and a lot of the actors in the show are in his later movies, like James Franco, Seth Rogen, and Jason Segel.  There are countless actors you will recognize. Two of my favorites are Biff from Back to the Future (aka Thomas F. Wilson) who plays the gym teacher (!!!) and a teeny-tiny Shia LaBeouf who plays the school's mascot.

One of the things I love about this show is that it takes characters that should be stereotypes and gives them a twist - even the supporting roles. For example, the gym teacher, the bully, and the religious girl  are all presented at first exactly how you would think, but then they are eventually given moments that are surprising and show depth of character. To use the tried and true words from English class - these are round, dynamic characters. This isn't to say that the characters have dramatic changes of heart or do anything that crosses the threshold of believability. There are no sappy lessons learned, or ridiculous epiphanies in the last 3 minutes of each episode. Freaks and Geeks is a great show.

Overrated - Young Adult Novel

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. What a great name for a novel. This is a book I just never connected with, though. It's a beloved children's book that I hated as a child.  I remember it being read aloud to my 5th grade class, and I remember watching the cartoon version in school, wishing it were shorter. 

As an adult I can look at the story and pinpoint the allusions and religious symbolism, but as a kid that wasn't interesting to me and just went over my head. Also, lots of the plot points don't logically make sense unless you are connecting it to religion (like Aslan dying and then coming back to life), which didn't happen in my public elementary school.

I think the biggest reason this book was so disappointing to read as a child is because the characters just aren't that developed. Aside from Edmund being bratty and Lucy being the youngest, I can't really describe them. They just aren't memorable, and so that makes it hard to get really into the adventures they have. Whereas in The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, I could tell you all about Claudia and Jamie's personalities and motivation behind their actions, In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, all four kids seemed like one collective unit that acted very similar and had similar motivations.

 

In this instance, I think the movie is preferable to the book.

Also, it ended up taking me a long time to figure out what the heck a Turkish Delight was.

Underrated - Young Adult Novel

I read a lot when I was young. My fear of the dark lasted way longer than necessary because my parents let me keep a giant "night light" in my bunk bed that I used as a reading lamp.  I think I was in 5th grade when I read From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L.Konigsburg. What a great book. This is one of those books where I can still vividly picture most of the scenes. Unlike the book I'm writing about for the overrated post, this is a book I connected with. A young girl who is tired of her family, bored with her life, and wants an adventure. 

The main character of the book is Claudia, a girl who wants to run away. She decides the perfect place to run away to is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She realizes she doesn't have enough money to do it, so she convinces her only sibling that saves his money, her younger brother, Jamie, to come along with her. Claudia is methodical and plans their escape in great detail. To an adult it seems far-fetched, but to a 5th grader it makes perfect sense. They manage to make it an entire week in the museum, bathing in a fountain, sleeping in antique beds, and hiding in the bathrooms around closing time. They even manage to solve a mystery about a sculpture that may or may not have been sculpted by Michelangelo.

I love this book. There is fantasy surrounding Claudia's scheme to run away, but there is enough reality to make it relatable. I don't think it would ever make a child actually run away, it just makes the fantasy of imagining "what if?" fun and entertaining.

Underrated - Coffee Dripper

A woman I used to work with gave me a coffee dripper she didn't use that was given to her by someone who also didn't use it. It was still in its package, bright pink, and I didn't have high hopes for it. The thing is incredible though. It makes delicious coffee, is easy to use, and while the cleanup isn't as easy as a Keurig, it's still easier and quicker than a french press. Also, I can use whatever coffee I want.




Here is my coffee dripper. It sits on top of your mug, you just boil the water (I have an electric kettle, so it's quick), put a filter in it with your coffee grinds, and pour the water over the grinds. The coffee "drips" into your cup. It's also easy to make two cups at a time, you just switch the dripper between two cups with double the coffee. To clean up you just throw out the filter and wash. It also goes in the dishwasher.

I love it. It doesn't take up a lot of space and is easy and quick. You can also put the dripper on top of a travel mug and make exactly what you need (which is something that you can't do in a Keurig, since a travel mug won't fit).

Overrated - Keurig Coffee

I received a Keurig single serve coffee maker as a gift a few years ago. I loved it. It's easy and it's fast. Insert coffee pod and water and just push a button. Coffee is ready in minutes. Cleaning up is simple too, you just throw out a coffee pod.

Why the overrated tag then? There are three critiques I have, but they are pretty important when it comes to coffee.

1. The taste - Coffee that comes from a k-cup isn't that great. There are tons of different brands to try, but the ones that I tried were slightly bitter. This is easy to mask with lots of cream and/or sugar, but if you drink it black, it's hard.

2. Using different brands - If you want to use a brand that doesn't come in a k-cup, it's not worth it. The whole point of the machine is to use the prepackaged k-cups. Around the holidays I was given four (!!!!!) bags of White Russian flavored coffee, but since it didn't come in a k-cup, I had to try a bunch of different methods to brew it in the Keurig. I tried the special basket you can buy (which defeats the purpose of a quick and easy cup of coffee, it's messy!). I tried hacks I found online whereI emptied old k-cups and washed them and covered them with tinfoil. Both ways produced weak, sad cups of coffee.

Pods

3. Price - Tons of stores sell k-cups now, but they all have different prices and it's hard to get the best deal. When it's not on sale, each k-cup comes out to around $0.50-$0.55. That's better than buying a cup at Starbucks, but it's not as good as buying a bag at the store.

So, I definitely understand why people love Keurig coffee makers, but for me they are slightly overrated. I still have my Keurig, it's just on a shelf right now, waiting for more delicious, slightly less expensive options.

Overrated Game - Monopoly

Once I heard someone refer to the game Monopoly as Monotony. It's a perfect description. Monopoly is boring. I thought maybe when I was younger that it was something I would like when I was older, but, nope, Monopoly is Monotony.

Have you ever played an entire game of Monopoly all the way through? I've never been able to.

Even with all the different themed boards - Disney, Dinosaurs, Football teams, TV shows, etc. the game never changes.

Monopoly is boring.

Underrated Game - Telestrations

If you like playing board/party games, I've got an awesome game for you called Telestrations. Last year, my friend Amanda kept saying she had a game she thought my boyfriend and I would like that we should play together. We got together a few times, but I've never been that crazy about party games. When we finally got around to playing, I was surprised at how fun the game is.

Telestrations is (like it says on the box) a mix between Whisper-Down-The-Lane and Pictionary. Except it's so much better than both of those games combined. Basically, you pick a card with a word on it and draw that word on a booklet with pages that flip. The person next to you gets your book with your picture and attempts to guess the word that you drew. They write that down, and then the process starts over with the person next to them. When the booklets have made it all the way around your group, you flip through the pages and see if everyone guessed or drew correctly.

Here's a picture of what a finished booklet might look like:

Telestrations is the perfect party game. I've played this game at family events and with friends. Everyone loves it. I even bought it for my father for Christmas, and now all of his friends play. Yes, you have to draw, but it doesn't matter how great you are. The best rounds are when pictures are misinterpreted. I love this game.

Underrated - Hobbies

When I wrote that Cable TV is overrated, it took me a little bit to decide what the antithesis of it would be for the purposes of this blog. I almost devoted this post to Netflix and how great Netflix Instant is (so great).

But then I realized that by watching less TV, I've had more time to devote to what are essentially hobbies. I can't say with a straight face that watching less TV has meant more time to do work. I still desperately need my downtime. But now I've found myself interested in things I thought I'd given up on, like playing the piano, running, and reading books that aren't mandatory for school.

The feeling of setting a goal and then sticking to it has always been there when it came to school and work, but not so much in other areas of my life. I'd forgotten how much of a break from school and work it can provide.

Overrated - Cable TV

I've always been a big fan of TV. I like watching it, but I especially like having it in the background as I clean or do random things. When I decided to cancel my cable a few months ago, I was weirdly nervous about it. I didn't like the thought of giving up so many channels. Only having about 10 channels seemed like a sacrifice. It wasn't though.

Cancelling my cable has turned out to be really positive for me. I still watch some TV, however it's usually at night and it's not at random times during the day. I've discovered I hate most of the talk shows, infomercials, and Court TV shows that fill up the daytime, and in doing this I've discovered that I'd rather have solitude than annoying background noise. My apartment is a more peaceful place.

When I watch TV, it's with a purpose now. I only turn it on if there is something specific I want to watch, so I've had more time to devote to other things. Don't get me wrong, I've been known to go to my parents' house and catch up on some cable shows On Demand, but for the most part, I don't miss it at all.

Underrated Novel - In the Skin of a Lion

In the Skin of a Lion is a book I am constantly recommending. Michael Ondaatje wrote it in 1987, however I think it is very much overshadowed by Ondaatje's most well-known novel - The English Patient. Ondaatje is a beautiful writer: his sentences are eloquently crafted, his characters are nuanced, and his ideas on love and loss never become tired tropes.

In the Skin of a Lion is everything The Pillars of the Earth is not. The novel is set in Toronto, and this setting is an integral part of the story. Ondaatje writes of the construction of a bridge in a way that is interesting, unlike the construction of the cathedral in The Pillars of the Earth. Ondaatje describes various locations around the city and Canada, but always anchors them to the people living there. There are immigrants, anarchists, actors, a professional thief, an escaped nun, and various other characters who all give life to Toronto in the 1920s.

The main character, Patrick, loses his father in a logging accident, and drifts in and out of various jobs. Early in the novel he becomes a "searcher" looking for Ambrose Small, a millionaire who mysteriously disappeared in real life and was never found.

I wish every novel I read was as satisfying as In the Skin of a Lion. Ondaatje creates characters I truly cared about, and a plot that wasn't easy to predict. It doesn't fall into a certain genre - there are elements of mystery, history, romance, and drama. Ultimately, though, the novel is about the writing style of Ondaatje which is poetic and beautiful.

Overrated Book - The Pillars of the Earth

One of the best parts about finishing a book is discussing it with other people. That's why I like reading books that are popular, there are more people to discuss the plot and characters with. The Pillars of the Earth is one book that people regularly ask me if I have read. It makes sense, I love historical novels and I love medieval literature. I was given a copy a few years ago, and I eagerly started to read, expecting to love it. Unfortunately, I didn't. It's popular, but the reasons people give for why they like it have never clicked with me.

The Pillars of the Earth was published in 1989 and written by Ken Follett. It's been a best-seller in numerous countries and was even one of Oprah's Book Club selections. The novel is about a cathedral being built in a fictional town named Kingsbridge in England in the 12th century. It follows the lives of the architect Tom Builder, the villainous William Hamleigh, and Prior Philip, a monk at Kingsbridge. Everyone is ambitious in their own way, motivated by either family or morality. There is mystery, fighting, and romance, but there are also endless pages describing the process of constructing a cathedral, endless rape scenes, and characters whose actions don't make any sense set in the 12th century.

My main feelings about this book can be summed up by a reviewer on amazon.com:

"My true criticisms lie in Follett's inability to write with any literary skill. His syntax and idioms are far too modern for a work of historical fiction. Midway through the book it occurred to me that there were few metaphors, similes, just conflict after conflict which drove the plot. He writes without mood, feeling, or anything that makes language meaningful and beautiful."

Ultimately, the plot and characters are the biggest draw of the novel, but the writing is weak, needs LOTS of editing, and just never pulled me in. Interestingly,The Pillars of the Earth was turned into a TV mini-series in 2010. I found the mini-series much better than the novel. It has the basic plot points and characters without the rambling descriptions.

Underrated Sci-Fi Movie - Sunshine

Sunshine is a great movie that not many people have seen. It was released in 2007 and directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours). It is set 50 years in the future, and is a tense, well-acted movie.

The first lines of the movie sum up the plot:

Our sun is dying. Mankind faces extinction. Seven years ago the Icarus project sent a mission to restart the sun but that mission was lost before it reached the star. Sixteen months ago, I, Robert Capa, and a crew of seven left earth frozen in a solar winter. Our payload a stellar bomb with a mass equivalent to Manhattan Island. Our purpose to create a star within a star.

The beginning of Sunshine is a mix of amazing shots of space and the men and women on the Icarus II interacting and dealing with decisions they made. The whole cast is great (Cillian Murphy, Michelle Yeoh, Rose Byrne), and it's interesting to watch how each astronaut handles the various pressures of the mission.

The action really starts when they realize that they will be passing by the original Icarus project that failed. Should they go off their current course and examine the remains of the Icarus project?

I loved this movie because it really examines the mindset of the characters who are in a situation where every decision they make is huge. There are unforeseen consequences, leading to the end, which honestly is a little crazy. Still, this is a great movie.

Here's the trailer:

Overrated Science Fiction Movie - Avatar

I've seen Avatar, but ask me any question about the plot, characters, or even setting, and I probably will get it wrong. I (obviously) didn't love this movie like a lot of people. I also didn't hate this movie like a lot of other people. I remain at best completely ambivalent about it. I don't get the excitement, but I also don't get the backlash. I remember it was really really fun to look at, but any thing of substance didn't stick. Were there any parts of substance?

I remember there was a love story, a beautiful planet, a message about the environment, and bad bad men who don't appreciate love, beauty, and the environment. It's true I could very easily look up the characters' names, but I would almost immediately forget them.

Avatar was beautiful, but not very memorable. It broke all sorts of records in terms of box office success, but as a huge sci-fi fan, I can say I've seen better.

Underrated Finger Food - Tater Tots!

If you ever ate cafeteria food in elementary or middle school, you've experienced the joy of eating tater tots. Tiny and delicious, greasy and full of flavor, I loved tater tots when I was little.

Then I grew up, and for years and years I forgot how pleasant they could be - aside from watching that scene in Napoleon Dynamite.

I used to live near a bowling alley called North Bowl in Philadelphia. It's a great place to bowl; the decor is retro and fun, after 9 pm, no one under 21 is admitted (there is a bar inside), and there is even an upstairs for private events that has two lanes and a bunch of pool tables and games.

One of the best things about North Bowl, however, is that they have tater tots. And not just regular tots, they have all different kinds.

Here are just some of the types of tater tots found on their menu:

Pizza: Melted mozzarella and fresh marinara
Buffalo: Hot sauce and blue cheese
Garlic Parm: For the garlic lovers, fresh garlic, herbs, and shaved parmesan
Crabby: Dusted in Old Bay with cheese sauce
Baker: Cheddar, bacon, sour cream and scallions

I wish more places served tater tots like these. They are flavorful, easy to eat, and fun - a great food to eat out with friends!

Overrated Finger Food - Chicken Wings

Wings are overrated for two very important reasons. They are messy, and they are always a gamble when ordered in a restaurant. Can chicken wings be delicious? Yes. They're still annoying to eat.


I have no problem with the taste of wings, but I find them to be more trouble than they are worth when eating out. I don't like getting my hands that dirty when I eat, I'm the weirdo who will eat french fries with a fork. In the privacy of my apartment I will eat messy foods because it's not as weird for me to wash my hands a bunch of times. In a restaurant? No. And wet naps are never enough! Also, wings take energy to eat. For the amount of meat on each wing there is a lot of effort involved. And if you are out with friends, you spend more time focused on not being too messy than you do on any conversation.


The second reason wings are an overrated food is because they are always a mystery. Unless you have been to that restaurant before, you never know exactly what type of wings you will be getting until the server brings them out. Sure, they are usually the same size, but sometimes they are really crispy throughout and sometimes they are soft. Or coated in breading. Sometimes the sauce is really thick, sometimes it's on the side. They are even bright orange occasionally. Inevitably, whichever type of wing you were craving is not the wing being served. (Mozzarella sticks are another food like this. When I would waitress I grew to expect disappointed faces whenever I brought out the mozzarella sticks. They were the saddest flattest sticks I've ever seen. They looked like tan dominoes.)

Underrated Disney Movie - Bolt

Go ahead and watch the opening 2 minutes of Bolt.

Really cute, right?

Bolt was released in 2008 and features the voices of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus. I was dreading watching this movie. I had confused it with the similarly titled animated film Balto from 1995. I’m glad I watched it, though. When it was over, I couldn’t believe I had never heard about it. It was released the

same year as Wall-E and Kung Fu Panda, so that probably had something to do with it. Bolt isn’t just a really really ridiculously cute movie, though. There is an interesting plot, well-developed characters and themes about friendship and love.

So what is Bolt about? Bolt is like the dog version of Truman from The Truman Show. Bolt is the star of a popular TV series where he plays a dog with superpowers. He has no idea that his life is scripted, and when he finds out, he has to reevaluate his life and wonders where his owner, Penny, fits in.

Bolt even manages to make a mangy alley cat named Mittens into an endearing and surprising character.

Here is another great scene where Mittens the cat teaches Bolt how to beg for food.

If you have never seen Bolt, I recommend it as a film for both kids and adults to enjoy.

Overrated Disney Movie - Pinocchio

My boyfriend and I recently started watching Disney movies we have never seen before. We realized after watching the Lion King (re-released recently) that since it was so great, some classics that we would and could love surely had slipped through the cracks. For the past 6 months or so we have borrowed from our local libraries and rented the rest on Netflix. There have been some surprises. Treasure Planet was fun, The Black Cauldron was CREEPY, The Hunchback of Notre Dame pretty perverted, and Home on the Range was so boring I fell asleep.

And so, on to Pinocchio.

Let’s get this out of the way: Pinocchio has great animation and When You Wish Upon a Star, is an iconic song. The movie was released in 1940 and was Disney’s second feature length animated film (the first was Snow White).

Imagine a film where the main protagonist is both an idiot and a child. Everyone who loves the child has horrible judgment, and everyone who hurts and exploits the child gets away with it. This is why I don’t understand the appeal of watching Pinocchio. It’s a horror film with songs and cute animals.

The fact that Pinocchio is alive by the end of the movie is a miracle.

(Spoiler Alert!!!!!)

Literally! Because, yes, Pinocchio drowns and dies saving his loved ones. The Blue Fairy ultimately brings him back to life, but you have to wonder why he is tested so much before he is turned into a “real boy” when so many evil beings already exist in the story. More puppet-people, Blue Fairy, and less scoundrels and scam artists!

But what happens before Pinocchio dies? Is he abducted by a fox in a top hat and sold into puppet slavery for a cruel man named Stromboli? Yes. Is he abducted again by the SAME fox and sold to a different man and then partially turned into a donkey? Yes. He is abducted numerous times by numerous predators, and everyone who should be looking out for him doesn’t. You can’t even blame Pinocchio really, of course he is naïve, he is newly alive but still a child-puppet with a wooden head.

Watching this movie filled me with so much anxiety I couldn’t enjoy anything once Pinocchio leaves Geppetto’s house. What is wrong with these characters? Why is Geppetto letting Pinocchio walk to school by himself one day after he is given consciousness by the blue fairy? Why is the Blue Fairy letting Pinocchio have a nomadic cricket act as his conscience? Why isn’t Jiminy held more accountable for the horrible stuff that happens to Pinocchio?

There’s no resolution in the end, the little boys who are turned into donkeys remain donkeys, and presumably the man who owns the evil Pleasure Island continues to abduct children. The fox who sells Pinocchio twice is never caught. Stromboli is still a really mean and greedy puppeteer. Even though Pinocchio finally becomes a real boy, he still has to live in this depressing world with well-intentioned but useless guardians.

Underrated Sports Event - The World Cup

The World Cup can be so much fun if you give it a chance. Instead of one night like the Super Bowl, you get one crazy month! And, instead of every year, it’s every four years, so when it happens it seems way more special. For some reason, the really big American Football fans I know resist watching soccer.

I first started watching the World Cup in 2006 when it took place in Germany. I didn’t encounter very many people at the time that watched it. Then in 2010, it was located in South Africa, and while more people watched it that I knew, I still consider it an underrated event. Ask someone if they know what a vuvuzela is. If they know, they probably watched the last World Cup.

The games are straightforward: two 45-minute periods. Half time is not a long drawn out affair. The focus is on the game. The players are great athletes, there are always some amazing kicks and shots scored. If you are bored by the game, you focus on the crazy fans. There are always groups of people either in full body paint, or dressed completely ridiculously. Another fun thing to do while watching is reenact the players pretending they are hurt in front of the referees. Click here for a funny example.

I love that the teams are split up by country. It’s just like the Olympics, so I can be patriotic and root for Team USA, but if Italy has a game I have no problem getting excited.

The next World Cup will be in Brazil in 2014. And don’t forget, there is also a Women’s World Cup!

Overrated Sports Event - The Super Bowl

I have to thank my brother for this topic! When he suggested it, I was happy to see we were both on the same page in terms of which was overrated and which was underrated. And so . . .

The Super Bowl is overrated.

I don’t hate it or curse its existence, but I don’t really understand its popularity. I’ve never been a huge football fan, but I’ve watched my fair share of games. I have tried, really tried, to get excited for the Super Bowl, but I never can. There are four big draws to the Super Bowl. These are the angles pro-bowlers use to sell the game to ambivalent people like me.

1. The Game Itself

Obviously only two teams make it to the end to duke it out, but they are rarely the two teams that I want to watch. I’m not trying to be a baby and whine about my team not making it, of course the teams that make it are there because they deserve it. But what is the fun of watching two teams I rooted against during the regular season? And then there are two solid weeks of hype leading up to the game. I see the hype on TV, I hear it on the radio, I read it online. I never get as excited as the announcers, broadcasters, or writers. It becomes almost mandatory to side with one team, so I become obligated to pick the better of two evils and prepare myself to justify that reason to anyone who asks. However, really there are other things I’d rather make uneducated predictions about to some stranger in Wawa.

2. The Commercials

I used to love watching the commercials when I was younger. Now I just watch specific ones online or on TV when they re-air during a show I like. The commercials are really fun, but not enough to make it worth watching the game.

3. The Half-Time Show

I feel like this is something you watch so you can talk about it the next day, not because you think you will enjoy it. There was the controversy with Janet Jackson in 2004, and the controversy with M.I.A. this year. The crazy amounts of attention both have received seem excessive and annoying. It’s just like the commercials, I’d rather watch the show the next day online than put up with it live (well, 10 second delay).

4. The Company

Whether you watch it at a bar or a house party, this is the best reason I can see to watch the game. Delicious party foods, people to laugh at commercials with and poke fun at the half-time show with. But wait. . . we aren’t supposed to talk during the actual game? Noooooo!!!!!

Love the Super Bowl???? Convince me, please!