Svetlana and I are pretty obsessed with Netflix. I take the slightly more OCD route though by rating all my movies (between 1 and 5 stars) and rearranging my queue on an hourly basis. I will often berate her for giving odd ratings: “5 stars out of 5 for The Descent? Really?” She doesn’t care. I also send a lot of “notes” to friends, a Netflix feature that allows you to suggest movies to your friends via an up to 200 character mini review. Svetlana wishes I would channel all my Netflix energy into BYT. So at her request every once in a while I’ll post some of my mini-reviews from the past 4+ years, ten or so at a time. Feel free to give me shit like I give her shit:
Cashback
Cute and funny. Plus lots of boobs.
4 Stars
After Innocence
Horrifying and emotionally draining - inadvertantly shines light on the dangers of the death penalty and racial and socio-econimic prejudices in our justice system. help out at: innocenceproject.org
5 Stars
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
C'mon, it wasn't that bad
3 Stars
Grizzly Man
Werner Herzog is a genius
5 Stars
King Kong (Extended Cut, 2005)
so good I almost crapped my pants
5 Stars
Mail Order Wife
great stuff, don't read too much about it, just pop it in. also check out the deleted scenes when you're done.
4 Stars
Live Free or Die Hard
Quite possibly the best ridiculous action movie ever made.
5 Stars
Tom Goes to the Mayor: The Complete Series
Excuse me, I think I smell my friend's beard in here... **GREATEST SHOW EVER**
5 Stars
Doomsday
Don't do it.
1 Star
Death at a Funeral
One of the funniest movies I've seen in a while.
4 Stars
Penelope
An all-star cast, Ricci, O'Hara, McAvoy, Witherspoon, and the amazing Peter Dinklage, still can't quite save this film which can't figure out if it's a dark comey or family fare. Not terrible tho.
3 Stars
For Your Height Only
The late great 2 ft 9 Filipino actor Weng Weng kicks bad guys in the balls for an hour. Not to be missed.
4 Stars
Wanna be my Netflix friend? Click here:
http://www.netflix.com/BeMyFriend/PmzrQcDhoaLYHM0oKBu0
Wanna read Part 1? Click here:
http://www.brightestyoungthings.com/movies/1-second-movie-reviews/
God loves a cheerful giver.
I have said this before and I will say it again: I am a fan of Dodgeball.
I own Dodgeball.
I second five stars for grizzly man. Werner Herzog rules - nobody makes so many films about the same subject in so many variations. I also recommend "My best fiend".
And then, it's not out yet, but worth saving: "waltz with bashir". It's hand down one of the best films I watched in 2008. I think it played at E-street a little while ago and left unnoticed. Or maybe I just saw a preview there and it is still coming up - even better, in this case, go watch it. It's an incredible film.
...the best thing about Dodgeball is the original ending on the DVD special features. After a poor reaction from test audiences they changed it. If that had kept it intact it would have been the greatest mainstream comedy movie of all time. Go check it out.
I watched Death at a Funeral by myself one night and laughed so hard Paul got annoyed and didn't want to watch it b/c I kept going on about it.
And that Die Hard was ridiculous....but I liked it.
which King Kong?
Nih - My Best Friend avail to watch instantly, Waltz with Bashir avail to save, thanx.
John - I barely even remember it (a lot of these notes are old), but I think there is a scene where he fights a jet plane. AWESOME.
Which King Kong? "King of Kong and a Fistful of Quarters" is probably the best film with King Kong in the title
Peter Jackson's Extended Cut from 2005!
i did enjoy that King Kong. i ain't never seen the extended cut. do they got it on Blu-ray?
did you ever see that SNL sketch where king kong's dong was going in those peoples apartment window when he was climbing up their building?
Does this link still work? I canceled my netflix membership so I can't tell if my favorite reviewer is still around and active:
http://www.netflix.com/MoreReviews?prid=184390806&pgnum=1
I could barely make it through the preview of Waltz With Bashir. The animation is horrific and so unfinished looking (in execution - not style) that I would never make it through the movie. I closed my eyes and listened to the dialogue and it instantly engaged me but when I looked back at the screen I couldn't do it.
The stilted movements from the flash animation only add to the annoyance. You could make a motion picture with most of the components in flash (why would you is the question?) but not without a serious budget and a room full of processors which this has neither of. It looks like an amazing story - I wish they had taken a different approach to producing it.
Grizzly Man has two of my favorite moments on film/video - when his sing song voice disappears in rage when the fox runs off with his hat and when Herzog smugly listens to the carnage on the tapes himself but acts noble in refusing to allow the old girlfriend to hear it.
Is it me or is quirky english workplace comedy like Cashback the funniest thing ever. And like cale said.....boobs. Lots and lots of boobs. Definately a first date flick.
John: the film doesn't aspire to break grounds in animation; I can assure you that the film has many aesthetically pleasing moments. But what really matters is the story and how it is being told; the combination of documentary and animation is very gripping. The film is so profoundly touching and thought provoking. It reminded me a bit of "when the wind blows", just that it was much more overpowering and disturbing because it is non-fictious.
Hey NP - I will give it a shot as the story looks amazing. I am not an animation snob but this was to the extent that I felt it was a major distraction. It is jerky and stilted to the point that I would have to go back over 100 years for an example from traditional animation. Maybe you can just get lost in it after awhile and the preview wasn't long enough. We'll see...
Awesome! How did I miss Part One?
Cale & Sveltena,
I too am obsessed with netflix and would like us to become netflix friends. My viewing to note ratio is outstanding and run home from theatres to rate things. let's make this happen.
best,
matt siblo
Cale, it warms my heart whenever someone else comes out of the OCD closet. I came out about a year ago.
I feel a certain kinship with you, minus the fact that you can eat 5 pizzas and not gain an ounce of body-weight. That part of it kind of bugs me. Other than that, kinship.