Short DVD Reviews - Part 8

My word, it's been a long time since I've posted these, so let's get to it. As always, I promise you reviews of our latest Netflix rentals in 25 words or less!

Into the Wild - A startling portrait of a man trying to be one with nature. Heartbreaking and stunning.

Scoop - Hugh Jackman is hot. Woody Allen is not. A positive plus a negative equals a zero.

Gigi - This was a fun and frothy classic musical. The plot is trite, but the music is memorable.

Where the Truth Lies - An odd Hollywood mystery which involves Kevin Bacon, Colin Firth and sex. The intrigue chugs along, but the ending doesn't satisfy.

Easter Parade - Another classic musical, this time with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire. The plot and songs were just OK, but it's always fun to watch Judy.

Orlando - Strange gender-bending tale in two time periods starring Tilda Swinton. It's so out there, it ends up going nowhere.

Oscar and Lucinda - Ralph Fiennes and Cate Blanchett in a quirky Australian love story. Once again, it pulled me along but the ending fell flat.

Munich - Oscar-nominated? I didn't get the appeal. Eric Bana saves it from being completely dull.

The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green - Yet another gay male film that is just trite and barely satisfactory.

Pride and Prejudice - This version with Keira Knightley was so heavily edited I was struck dumb at the abrupt ending. Please see the BBC miniseries instead!

In the Valley of Elah - Tommy Lee Jones unravels the mystery of his military son's death. His performance is strong, but the "mystery" was poorly crafted.

A Little Night Music - An early Sondheim musical that's fun to see simply for Diana Rigg. But the plot itself meanders and can't match the good music.

Infamous - Another amazing biography of Truman Capote and his work on In Cold Blood. Don't compare this to Capote; completely different in its own beautiful way.

Blade Runner - Although I'm sure it was ground-breaking for its time, I wasn't blown away and hated those Harrison Ford voice-overs.

The Interpreter - Nicole Kidman and the views of the United Nations are striking. The complex mystery drives the plot well, but I wanted it to go further.

Meet the Spartans - Stupid and sophomoric parody of 300? Yes. But is it funny? Yes.

I Could Never Be Your Woman - An absolutely satisfying tale of Michelle Pfeiffer's mid-life crisis. Adorable film, and adorable Paul Rudd. Best part is Saiorse Ronan as the singing daughter!

The Advocate - Truly bizarre French period drama about putting animals on trial for witchcraft. Seriously. Colin Firth? Not naked.

The Savages - Siblings who hate themselves and kind of hate each other deal with dad's Alzheimer's. Depressing, and that's about it. A disappointment.

21 - This probably makes a better book. Finding out how 5 collegiates broke the Vegas bank is fun, but the plot beyond that is pure formula.

In Bruges - A strangely engrossing tale of lowlifes in picturesque Belgium. May be too violent for some.

Persepolis - This animated tale of a youngster's life growing up in Iran has a lot to teach those of us who grew up in the West.

Baby Mama - The plot is formulaic, but you can't deny that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are darn funny.

The Bank Job - A clever heist film that is really about a web of lies and dirty dealing in 1970's London. Great fun and Jason Statham is hot.

Short DVD Reviews - Part 7

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted these! A lot to catch up on. As always, I promise you reviews of our latest Netflix rentals in 25 words or less!

Junebug - Amy Adams got an Oscar nomination, and deservedly so. A small but pleasing drama.

Waitress - The Felicity girl sure can cook pies! And this simple tale was a real blue ribbon winner.

Sicko - Michael Moore's latest documentary was provocative in its examination of our abysmal health care system. But I just didn't feel that it went far enough.

Mask - Cher, Eric Stoltz, and lots of motorcycles. A nice movie that doesn't quite stand the test of time.

Transformers - It was loud and shiny. But when Optimus Prime was hiding in the rosebushes, I had given up.

Sweeney Todd - This is the original stage production starring Angela Lansbury. She is so very funny, but there were parts I actually liked better in the movie.

To Catch a Thief - A disappointing Hitchcock film, I lost interest after the first 15 minutes. Skip it and rent Notorious or Suspicion instead.

Across the Universe - Julie Taymor is a great visionary, but this was simply the storyline of Hair reset to Beatles music. Not good.

The Rules of Attraction - First of my two "Fred Savage is hot" obsession movies. Unfortunately the movie itself meanders and has no point.

The Last Run - Second Fred Savage movie, this one he stars in. He has a lot of sex (hott!), but the plot is just awful.

Sin City - Can someone explain why this was supposed to be awesome? We shut it off after 20 minutes.

For the Bible Tells Me So - A compelling documentary on the vilification of the gay community by the church. This one will spark interesting discussions.

Paris, Je T'aime - A fascinating experiment - 18 directors tackle 18 stories in 18 Paris neighborhoods. Mixed results, naturally - but some are utterly charming. And the scenery!

Cavedweller - A horrid adaptation of Dorothy Allison's excellent book. I defy you to deduce where the title comes from with what little plot made it in.

Greenfingers - This charming film about gardening prisoners features both Clive Owen and Helen Mirren. What's not to love?

Derailed - ScottE figured out the "twist" in the first third of the movie. All that was left was to learn the details. Lame!

Calendar Girls - This sweet movie about bold Yorkshire housewives posing nude is very funny to start, but lapses into some predictable melodrama. Still, it's worth renting.

[Pictured - the real calendar girls from which that movie was based!]

Battlestar Marathon - Day 1

The Objective:

The long-awaited fourth and final season of Battlestar Galactica premieres on the Sci-Fi channel on Friday, April 4th.

The Challenge:

We were behind on the storyline! Up until now we've only been able to Netflix seasons 1 through 2.5 on DVD. At long last, season 3 arrived on DVD (just a couple days ago) and I received it as a lovely birthday gift from ScottE.

The Mission:

Watch all 15 hours in just two weeks, which is hard to do when you're busy professionals preparing for an impending housewarming! And Joyous was in on this as well, as she's the one who got us hooked in the first place.

The Preparation:

First we rented from Netflix "The Story So Far" which was a little recap of everything we'd seen already. It was a good reminder of what has happened, although the video itself was odd - almost like someone had videotaped it off the TV? I felt sure it was pirated or something! But the disc looks legit, so whatever.

Day 1 Report:

Joyous came over at 10 a.m. We assembled our snacks, and ScottE had prepared a lasagna to keep our strength up. And thus, we settled in to watch the first 13 episodes. So much fun, even if it was a bit exhausting! The biggest debates of the day were whether or not we'd vote for Laura Roslin (most of the time, yes - but not when she's talking genocide of the Cylon race), the hair of Lucy Lawless (is it too Farrah Fawcett?), and whether or not Gaeta is gay (it's all in the name).

It's tough to pick my favorite episode so far, but I'll have to go with "Exodus, Part II." Of course a 2-parter has an edge, but it was hard not to get a little misty when the members of the resistance were finally rescued and back on Galactica. Topping it off with the revelation that Kacey was indeed part of a mindfrak on Starbuck was great.

But the best overall line is without question Tyrol saying that he would "dance around naked with porn magazines to defy them." Hott!

Next Steps:

We've still got seven episodes to go, which we'll be catching up on over the next week. We also will be watching "Razor," the special episode that was shown recently to get people geared up for season four which chronicles the backstory on what happened with Pegasus. That one is already sitting on the TV cabinet, courtesy of Netflix. Also I'll be spending way too much time looking through the BSG wiki...

Stay tuned for further updates, as we delve deeper into the lives of the 12 Colonies! In the meantime, I offer this photo, which explains part of the reason we love this show so much.

Short DVD Reviews - Part 6

As always, I promise you reviews of our latest Netflix rentals in 25 words or less!

Something New - Joyous recommended this melodrama. Race relations are the overtone, but a charming romance is what makes it enjoyable. Ideal for my inner black woman.

Frida - Julie Taymor directs this visually interesting but ultimately dull biopic of Frida Kahlo. Go to a museum instead.

Dial M for Murder - My latest foray into the Hitchcock oeuvre. Grace Kelly is stunning, but the plot drags.

Bride and Prejudice - A combination Bollywood musical and Hollywood romance, I found it underwhelming. Sayid from Lost is in it (briefly), though.

Junebug - Remarkably charming film in the "awkward family" genre, it is worth seeing to note why Amy Adams got that Oscar nomination (and Alessandro Nivola's butt).

The Flower of My Secret - Almodovar film that shows promise, but fails to deliver. The best moments come from the funny mother.

Short DVD Reviews - Part 5

As always, I promise you reviews of our latest Netflix rentals in 25 words or less!

Run Lola Run - German film that takes a stab at the adage, "If I had it to do all over again..." Frenetic and fun.

Year of the Dog - Molly Shannon charms in an odd film about going to extremes. Regina King stands out as her best friend.

Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny - Why did I bother? Jack Black at the nadir of his career.

Bam Bam & Celeste - Silly Margaret Cho movie that doesn't take itself seriously. And it kind of works.

Too Many Girls - Lucy & Desi met in this 1940 musical. They probably fell in love because they forgot the movie's plot. I know I did.

United 93 - See my other post about this excellent film.

Testosterone - Horrible gay movie #2854. What is with that ending? Lame!

Show Business: The Road to Broadway - Documentary focuses on 4 musicals as they race to open and then to the Tonys. Bitchy stupid critics mar otherwise interesting fare.

Ready To Wear - I'd seen this Altman film about fashion years ago. It's still not that great.

Bee Season - If you loved the book like I did, avoid the movie like the plague. A most unfaithful rendition.

Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds - Far better than its predecessor, this one makes fun of itself, and winds up being just a bit funny. Full frontal alert!