Frack, it's good!

The 4th and final season of Battlestar Galactica is scheduled for April broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel. Ronald D. Moore created the 21st century version taking the blueprint provided by the late 70's ABC series to build something marvelous and remarkable.

Growing up under the roof of a totalitarian Trekkie father, I was first resistant to Battlestar. One pilot episode later, I succumbed to the charms of the program, appreciative of kick-ass female characters and good writing. The plots thus far have explored the paranoia and damage of homeland terrorism. Cylon Robots look the same (albeit ridiculously HOT when female) but are on a mission to destroy their human creators, or are they? Storylines have included examination of religious intolerance, torture, and a lingering war that takes it's toll on all of humanity.

A series catch-up episode will air on March 28. But do yourself a favor and rent past episodes–they are worth your time.

The Diving Bell & The Butterfly

Following a stroke at age 42 Jean-Dominique Bauby, editor of Frech Elle magazine, is victim to locked-in syndrome, paralyzed from head to toe. Julian Schnabel deftly directs this bio-pic and together, with Jean-Do, the viewer reconciles the meaning of a life spent wholly, senses engaged.

Mercifully, Bauby has the use of one eye to communicate. With the extreme commitment of Claude, a publisher's assistant taking dictation via eye blinks, Bauby's reflections on being a self realized man not without his flaws are shared. And as much as this film (based on Bauby's novel) captures the longing and frustration of his imprisonment, it is also a celebration of imagination.


Patience is integral to his story as are the beauty and trappings of consciousness. Max Von Syndow, as Bauby's aged father, conveys the visceral misery of a parent who must witness his child's suffering expertly, yet the familiar American recipe of hyper-sentimentalism is forgone. There is comedy, cruelty and incredible humanity within this film. I recommend it.