why I luuuurrrrve the British

Well, at least British television and movie. I just finished watching _Hot Fuzz_, which I think I was expecting to somewhat resemble things like, say, _Naked Gun_, but in practice was really, really, really different.

Our Hero is sort of an aspie SuperCop who gets promoted to Sergeant and send to the tiny village of Sandford. He's not happy about this; he'd rather have stayed in London, even if it meant not getting the promotion. But the Metropolitan Police feel collectively like he's making them look pathetic and want him gone. Sandford hasn't had a recorded murder in 20 years, emphasis on the recorded. Their accident rate is amazing, and includes Our Hero's immediate predecessor. I have to wonder a little bit about the British and perfect looking little villages, given that this is by no means the first fictional one with a body count (the most recent was an episode of Torchwood a couple years ago, IIRC). But I don't wonder a lot, because we certainly have our share of rural horror her in the US, fictional and otherwise.

In general, there's a lot more of a plot here than in Naked Gun (that I recall, anyway), and the characters are much better developed. Most of the humor is character and/or plot driven -- it isn't just a framework for making in-jokes.

Absolutely worth the time. I'm still trying to figure out how to track down more work by the director or producer or whoever is responsible for this vast funniness.

don't let anyone tell you that Hollywood isn't derivative

So, recently there was a Bones episode in which Booth's grandfather comes to stay with him for a while. While at Booth's apartment, he starts a fire because he puts a towel on top of a burner that he left on. Ultimately, he decides to return to the senior facility he checked himself out of.

Tonight, I'm watching the most recent episode of NCIS, and I notice that the same actor who played Booth's grandfather is playing Gibbs' dad. I should have noticed this before, but the two episodes weren't close enough to each other (Gibbs' dad showed up in an earlier episode). In any event, I chuckled a little, thinking, hey, does that make Gibbs Booth's uncle? Do they ever hang out? Is there any mentoring? I mean, they're _in the same city_ (both shows are supposedly set in the DC area, altho neither one is filmed there).

I go back to Treasure Madness while watching NCIS, when Gibbs gets called home unexpectedly because his dad has started a fire in his house. In this case, it's because he was trying to lay a fire in the fireplace and the flue hasn't been cleaned recently.

But still. First, that guy is clearly not someone you want as a houseguest. And second, is Hollywood derivative or what.