Call me crazy, but I like almost every improv exercise and game I’ve ever done. I’m better at some than others, but I nearly always enjoy them. That streak of improvisational bliss ended last night. I came to the realization that I hate the “Movie Reviewers” game. I’m not saying it’s just not one of my favorites — I actively hate it. This is a new experience for me, but there’s no denying the truth.

If you’re not familiar with Movie Reviewers, the basic idea is that you have two people who act as movie reviewers and a number of other people to act out the movie. It usually starts with a suggestion (often a movie title). Then the reviewers start out with an opening like the beginning of a movie review show, and then they intro a “clip” (ideally with some good offers for the movie actors), generally from early in the movie. The other players act out the clip, bringing in their own ideas. Then the same thing happens with a clip from the middle of the movie and again with the end. Simple enough. It doesn’t seem evil. It’s easier than a lot of other games. Yet for some reason, I just can’t stand it. I don’t like playing the reviewer, I don’t like playing the actor and I don’t even really like watching it.
This is all really too bad, because Movie Reviewers is a favorite of a lot of people in my class. And far be it from me to be the party pooper. I’m sure there are things I love that other people hate. So I’ll suffer through it. But no one can stop me from complaining about it in my blog!

There are two types of people in the world: people who take their TV watching seriously, and people who don’t. If you know me at all, you know I’m in the first group. TV is serious business, and it requires serious gear. I don’t fool around. That’s why I swear by TiVo.

I’ve had TiVos since early 2000, and I can’t live without them now. I would literally keel over and die if I didn’t have a TiVo in my life. I told you this is serious. Didn’t you believe me? Anyway, last year, we finally decided to join the revolution and upgrade to HDTV. We went to Costco and got an awesome new TV (likely subject of a future blog). Great idea, right? It sure seemed like it, but there was one little problem: TiVo didn’t make an HD-compatible DVR. However, Comcast has its own HD DVR, and I really wanted HDTV. So I forced myself to ignore the warning bells ringing loudly in my head and I swapped out my main TiVo for a Comcast DVR. BIG MISTAKE. Wow. What a piece of crap. It’s (marginally) better (in some ways) than using a VCR (if you ignore the splitting headache it will give you). But really, it’s a pale imitation of a real TiVo. So I was thrilled, nay, overjoyed, nay jumping up and down with excitement until I passed out when I heard that TiVo was finally releasing an HD unit, the Series3, late last year.

Getting my hands on a TiVo Series3 was not an easy feat, but I was able to track one down at a BestBuy 30 miles away. When I got it home, I hooked it up and I was immediately in heaven. I was back to the same great TiVo experience, with the same polished interface, but all in HD with more storage space than any TiVo I’d ever had. Add in digital cable, full Dolby 5.1 audio, THX certification (I’m not sure what that means other than a cool startup sound, but what more do you need?) and a nifty new front panel display, and you have the best TiVo ever made. I kicked the Comcast DVR directly to the curb, and I haven’t looked back.

Yes, the TiVo Series3 is expensive. Much more expensive than a cable company DVR. But the experience is just that much better. I think it’s worth every penny. Besides, didn’t we already agree that TV watching is serious business, worthy of serious equipment? Yes, we did. So you know what you have to do. Go. Now. You can thank me later.