What to Watch when there's Nothing to Watch

April’s slate is pretty dead – both theatrically and on video. There’s simply not much there. I may see “Date Night”, but not at full theatrical prices and I can always rent an omitted Oscar nominee, but for right now I’m in a stalled pattern.
That makes me restless and hard to satisfy.

On Saturday, I went to see “Chloe” at my local Cineplex. After bemoaning increased ticket prices last week, I found out first showings have an “early bird” rate of 6.00. This won’t work at 10:00 AM, but isn’t bad at 1:30 PM. Upon arrival, I noticed their concession renovations are semi-completed. It’s now done cafeteria-style. Why anyone would pay 4.00 for a 20 oz coke eludes me, unless it’s to avoid the line amassing at the single fountain soda line. People mill about randomly, and I finally pay for my 3.50 soda, dodge the “Dragon” crowd and find my showing, hiding in the back.

How was the movie? Not great, but I should have known better. I went for the cast – Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson and the increasing interesting Amanda Seyfried. I knew the basic premise – infidelity or imagination? For the first third, I was entertained. I should have remembered the director, Atom Egoyan, specializes in films that “push the sexual envelope”. About one-third of the film is something from Cinemax, not Cineplex. Afterwards I felt like I had seen far too much of Julianne, and wanted a shower. The film was tired, and so was I.

A few days later, I tried to clean out my Netflix, which were gathering dust due to my increased work schedule. I watched “North by Northwest” – an undisputed masterpiece. Unfortunately, I felt disillusioned. Although it held my interest, and Cary Grant and Hitch can do no wrong, the dialogue is erratic and I already knew all the big surprises. The dialogue in the train is fantastic (I wish they would have had that blatant sublety in “Chloe”), but the political diatribe is just too dated. The framing is spectacular, the effects are dazzling for their time, but it just didn’t gel completely for me. Sorry.

So what do you watch if there’s nothing to see? I turn my attention to the one forum consistently delivering –television. My favorite show right now is “Breaking Bad”. If you are not currently watching this show, (you probably aren’t), you OWE it to yourself to get the first two seasons and then hurriedly catch up. Bryan Cranston’s back-to-back Emmy wins aren’t a fluke. The writing never ever disappoints, the cast is spectacular and for 40+ minutes, I am riveted.

There’s also “Damages” and the upcoming “Top Chef Masters” to watch. And there’s always my Nook. I’ve been reading “The Help” for far too long, savoring it until Spielberg kills the story by making the film. I can even treat myself to reading on my porch.

So even if there isn’t anything to see, there’s still EVERYTHING to do, if you know where to look - or Nook.