ljbad

All things considered, "Angel" is probably one of my five or ten favorite shows of all time, but, still, I had a lot of problems with it. I loved the main characters -- Angel, Cordy, Doyle, Wesley, Gunn, Fred and Lorne -- but I couldn't stand most of the episodes that dealt heavily with the supporting cast - for example, Kate, Lindsey, Lilah, Connor and Darla. The chemistry between the core is very nearly as good as it was on "Buffy" -- which is to say, much, much better than on most shows -- and there are a number of great standalone episodes through its run; but the bad guys here just didn't hold my interest the way they did on "Buffy," and to this day there are a handful of episodes from seasons 3 and 4 that I've never been able to make it through. Still, I was sad to see it go; season 5 (highlighted by the arrival of Spike, and a couple of visits by Andrew) was easily the best.

Since its debut shortly after the Word Series late last year, "House" has become just about the only show on TV I can't miss - and the first formula series since the early seasons of "Law & Order" that has managed to hold my interest for more than a couple of outings. I don't know if anyone has suggested this yet, but mark my words: if they keep going at this rate, the character of Gregory House will one day be mentioned along with TV's most beloved characters - and not only detectives like Columbo and Kojak. The only possible pitfall is that the show seems intent on telling only standalone stories, which, with its rigid formula (rare disease, red herrings; rinse, lather, repeat), runs the risk of getting old before they've even reached their sophomore season. So far, it hasn't come close to being a problem -- and nobody expects this to have the lifespan of "L&O," after all -- so here's hoping we'll all get to check in with House fairly regularly for the next few years.

This movie gets by on its gags, which, even when they're not laugh-out-loud funny, are usually pretty clever. I didn't laugh, for example, when one of the characters, through a series of unlikely accidents, finds himself heralded as the new pope, but that was okay; I still appreciated the setup. This wouldn't be true if the film didn't maintain such high spirits --- in fact, that same gag would undoubtedly have seemed insufferably puerile. But like the kids from "That '70s Show," the characters here all seem to be in on their own torment. Even when, right in the first five minutes, one of them learns that his girlfriend has been cheating on him (through a rousing rock song performed by her lover at a high school graduation party, in a running gag that, at least by teen sex comedy standards, can only be considered inspired) I didn't find myself cringing so much as laughing at the very idea. Obviously, everything is going to turn out okay for these guys, and if they have to be nearly beaten up by soccer fans in London, or chased by a bunch of lechers on a nude beach, or even violated by a Xena lookalike in an Amsterdam brothel, well, it really is all in good fun. Needless to say, if you didn't like "American Pie" or "Road Trip," you might think twice about coming anywhere near this; but for anyone who enjoyed those movies at all, EuroTrip ought to be a hoot.