Commander in Chief

Commander in Chief

Obsession Level: I Actually Don't Mind Politics 

When I first heard about Commander in Chief it had been out and cancelled for about 8 years.  Yep, I'm way behind on television.  Anyway, it came on at a time in my life when I never, ever had time to watch.  

So, I found mention of the show while doing a search to see what I had missed by one of my already mentioned obsessions, Geena Davis.  I wasn't too enthusiastic about the idea of the show at first.  Not that I have anything against the plot of the show, but I just don't really care much for "political" shows.  I tend to lose interest quickly.  Still, it was Geena Davis, and she was president, so I got the first (and unfortunately only) season for Christmas.

When I first started watching the show I have to admit that it took me a little time to get into it.  I think that's mostly owing to the fact that, like I said before, I just don't really care too much for political shows.  Still, the show was a little catchy and I had a lot of time to kill (I was on vacation and had no intention of doing anything productive) so I went on one of my marathon television viewing experiences and watched all the episodes in probably three or so days.  

By the time that I finished the season, I was hooked.  I absolutely LOVED the show!  I loved everything about it.  I loved the characters, I thought the plot was captivating, and I was totally involved with it.  I was actually not minding politics at the time and was even considering going in search of some other similar television show (which I never did, but it's possible that I will in the future.  The West Wing, maybe?)

So let's talk about the show and the characters.  Mackenzie Allen is a great president.  In fact, I've recently been rewatching the show with a friend of mine who is not a Geena Davis fan in the slightest (so that you know I'm not just biased by my blind obsession), and she turned to me several episodes in and said "You know...I think I'm actually starting to like Geena Davis as president."  What followed was a joking conversation about writing Mackenzie Allen in as president in the upcoming election.  We're both convinced she'd be a great candidate.  

Then there's her husband, Rod.  He is very disagreeable.  He doesn't seem to get along with anyone and their relationship seems strained the entire time they're married.  He's not exactly my favorite.  

Nathan Templeton is a sneaky, sinister character.  Things you'll notice right off about him (other than his abnormally unruly eyebrows) are that he seems to be eating eggs at least once in every episode (while wearing a bib...?) and he apparently spends all day, everyday, watching television and plotting.

Jim, although a character that I like, is humorous because he ALWAYS looks likes he's concentrating really hard.  Kelli seems a little dingy, but she holds everything together.  The kids are fine, except the teenage daughter.  She's a drama queen and I'd have probably slapped her on a daily basis if I had to live with her.

All jokes aside, the cast is pretty good.

The worst thing about this show is that it only ran for one season.  I know that there was some kind of scheduling problem with the second season that put it at some really random time frame (11:00 p.m., I think) that caused viewers not to watch it (because they had to work the next day, probably) and so the show was cancelled before the second season got going.  That's disappointing since it really was a good show and it was certainly something I could have enjoyed for a few more seasons.  The only other annoying thing about the show (and this is nit-picky) is that each episode opens with "previously viewed scenes" that take far too much time, and then the opening theme doesn't actually appear until 9-12 minutes into the show.  I just feel like that's a really random place to put the opening theme since you've already been watching for a significant amount of time before they even tell you what you're watching!

All in all it's a good show and I recommend it to anyone looking for a one season show (18 episodes...so about 16 hours worth of viewing pleasure).  I'd also recommend it to anyone who likes political sitcoms, and of course to anyone who loves Geena!  

Geena Davis

Geena Davis

Obsession Level: Where Does it Even Begin?

My obsession with Geena Davis goes back a long time.  I can't even really remember where it began or when.  With the movies Beetlejuice and The Fly it's a matter of the chicken or the egg.  I don't know which one was the first one I saw, or which one was the one that finally got my attention, but it was certainly one of the two.  I believe it was Beetlejuice that I first saw, but it wasn't an instant obsession...actually very few of my obsessions are instant.  I usually need a little more exposure to someone or something to be caught hook, line, and sinker.

If I remember correctly, it was The Fly that cemented the obsession.  I even remember where I was and what I was doing when I watched the movie.  I was visiting at my grandmother's house and started watching television.  This was some time ago, so I'll date myself.  The television was one of those that had the aluminum foil wrapped antennas that you had to adjust all the time.  Sometimes you felt like the only way to get a decent picture was to touch the antenna, stand on one foot, stick out your tongue and touch the end of your nose with the index finger of your other hand.  Even then you weren't guaranteed a complete absence of squiggly lines.  

That's how I watched The Fly the first time. (Ok, perhaps I'm exaggerating a little...)  I was hooked immediately, and it was all down hill from there.  The search for movies was on and I was determined to see as much as I could possibly find.  This was difficult, of course, because I was navigating in a world where the internet was pretty new and the local movie rental places had about seven videos in each one and they weren't all Geena Davis movies.  Still, the obsession has lasted so long that I'm arriving closer at my goal of having seen everything that she's done.  That being said, it's a pretty wide variety of movies that you can watch.  She's played just about any kind of role that you might fancy.  I'll spare you the details of each and every one of the movies, but here's a sample platter of some of my favorites.  

Thelma and Louise was the movie that I saw after The Fly.  Besides the fact that I love Geena Davis (and because of this movie I also love Susan Sarandon...but we'll get to her eventually), the movie is a wonderful story of friendship.  It's also got drama, excitement, action, etc.  I consider this movie a classic and I don't think that anyone who calls themselves a movie buff can really do so if they haven't seen this movie.

If serious action is more your style then you cannot miss The Long Kiss Goodnight.  I have to admit that I thought the beginning of the movie was a little slow, but once you get sucked in then you're really hooked.  Geena Davis kicks major behind in this movie and Samuel L. Jackson works great with her.  It's a blood pumping movie that I've watched with people who don't share my obsession at all, and many of them have walked away saying that it's one of the best action movies that they've ever seen.  

Of course a little light-hearted comedy is also nice when you're looking for a movie to watch.  Something to veg out and watch for a laugh is always appreciated in my world and Geena doesn't fail to deliver in that department either.  Earth Girls are Easy is one of my favorites for that.  It's has a really good cast and lots of funny little moments.  Not to mention that it's just a classic late 80's movie that will appeal to anyone that likes that genre.

To continue in the vain of slap happy humorous movies, there's the cult classic Transylvania 6-5000.  This movie is just as goofy as they come, but it's good for a laugh and an easy watch.  No drama here!  Geena's role in the movie is very small (but no worries, the rest of the cast is great too) and she seems to be there more as an object/place filler than anything.  She's Odette, the nymphomaniac vampire, and she probably has about 6 lines in the whole movie.  Still, it's a funny movie and she at least does well at delivering her 6 lines.  LOL

I also like drama, but I don't like politics.  However, Commander in Chief (an excellent television show that SHOULD have continued longer than it die) was a great show.  Geena was an amazing president.  She pulled the role off wonderfully.  It was also just an all around good show since I actually wanted to watch it despite my dislike of politics.  I have the entire first (and only) season on DVD, so needless to say I've seen every episode several times.  

My most recent viewing experience was The Accidental Tourist.  It came about because I've been on a hiatus from doing anything that is going to challenge my brain too much.  I've recently reached a point in my work where I've just jumped a very large hurdle that required too much of my brain, so I'm giving myself a little vacation to get over that stress and strain before I get back to the grindstone.  That being said, Netflix seemed like a great place to play.  

So, one night during this mental mini-vacation I decided to watch something.  I only get the streaming videos on Netflix so the choices can be admittedly limiting at times.  I usually begin a search on Netflix like any completely obsessed individual: by deciding which obsession I might want to feed that night.  Usually it takes so long for new movies to become available that I've seen all the ones offered, but sometimes you get luck and something new comes along.  That was the case when this movie appeared.

It's great.  It has a little drama, lots of humor, and it has Kathleen Turner (who I also love) in addition to Geena Davis playing an adorably quirky individual.  The corgi is cute too.  I can recommend it now, so I'm glad that Netflix decided to let me watch it finally! 

If forced to pick my FAVORITE Geena Davis movie, however, it gets difficult.  I really do like them all for what they have to offer.  I guess that if I had to pick, though, it would come down to two...and both of them are very different.

Probably my favorite of the two in question would be Cutthroat Island.  This movie didn't do so well when it came out and I honestly believe it's because it was before its time.  It is a great pirate action movie and Geena is stellar (not to mention she does her own stunts, so she'll impress you here).  It may have been a flop at the box office because of when it came out, but the first time I saw it I was nuts about it!  

The other possible favorite, or possible runner up, is A League of Their Own.  It's more dramatic, I think, than Cutthroat Island.  It has a lot of funny moments too, however, and it is a classic in its own right.  I know plenty of people who quote the movie on a regular basis in order to explain daily situations.  For instance any disruptive kid can be called Stillwell Angel and I've heard "Evelyn, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to kill your son" from a wide variety of people.

For me, the most classic part of this movie is the battle between Tom Hanks and Geena Davis when they're giving signals to the team.  Priceless.

So there you have it...my obsession with Geena Davis.  I'm always impressed by her.  She's beautiful, funny, and involved in a lot of organizations.  She's athletic, does her own stunts, and was a finalist to be an Olympian from the U.S.A.  On top of that she's a great actress who has shown that she can play just about any kind of role thrown at her and she can play it well.  She's truly a star!