The second episode seemed ok to me. I'm going to keep watching for another couple of episodes at least. They've already got a ton of subtext running around--religion, souls, what makes a person a person. Lots of fun!

(And yes, I did rewatch the pilot before moving on the episode 2.)

Hank and Mike - A strange movie about Easter bunnies. It's a little slow at times, but overall I loved it. It's delightfully absurd and tackles the meaninglessness of life.

Rampo (1994)



Mystery. Racy Japanese 30's Noir.

Very artistically filmed. I liked the interleaving of anime and celluloid, although I think it should have been carried through throughout the film. Props and sets were excellent. Costumes are likewise excellent. My subtitles were reasonably accurate. Unseen violence. Nudity.

Acting was very good Japanese styled. I recognized Motoki, and Takenaka. There was a surprise cameo by Dreyfs (last seen in Kill Bill I (2003). Michiko is very lovely.

I particularly enjoyed this film. It was very modern, and un-Japanese, yet set in a very noir 30's Japan. The plot is very twisty. Careful attention is needed to the symbols. I imagine I'm going to have to watch this again.

Recommended.

I finished the 4th season of Dexter today. Good stuff! My heartbeat went up a few beats during the finale.

quote:

Originally posted by yer.andreas:
I finished the 4th season of Dexter today. Good stuff! My heartbeat went up a few beats during the finale.

Julie Benz R.I.P.

24 - the silliness! It done gone fractal!

Up in the Air - Uneasy mix of primal responses. I liked Clooney's performance, the cold, distant emotional cripple choking in his own hypocrisy. We've seen the character's basic romantic drama dissected countless times in hollywood vehicles, it doesn't make it any more, shall we say, palatable or easy to confront. But analyzing the final 'message' of the film, a bitter swallowing of an old cliché, gave me a sour aftertaste. I'm sure it'll rake them at the Oscars™.

Invictus, Sherlock Holmes, It's Complicated - Seats were comfortable.

The Oscar lists, now out. Street cred, people.

Pixar "Up" for best picture. "Up" is a very good film. Bought a copy, like it a lot. Problem is I think "Finding Nemo" is better. I think the first half of "Wall*E" is better.

And never mind I'm the only person going against marketing, but I think "The Princess and the Frog" should have been up for best picture, instead.

Someone ask Lasseter why?

LOST - Wowza!

Not Lost. My DVR decided recording that was optional, despite me inputting the record command twice. Argh.

Lost


Wowza indeed.
More. Now!

quote:

Originally posted by yer.andreas:
I finished the 4th season of Dexter today. Good stuff! My heartbeat went up a few beats during the finale.

My post in December...

quote:

Season finale of Dexter.

Jesus fucking christ.

In The Loop - Holy crap! Probably the most vicious commentary/satire about politics since Wag The Dog. What terrifies me the most is that I'm 90% certain that it's based on reality. Going to bed depressed now.

As always I'll watch all Lost episodes together when the season ends.

quote:

Not Lost. My DVR decided recording that was optional, despite me inputting the record command twice. Argh.

eztv

quote:

Originally posted by fuldog:
Up in the Air - ....

***MINOR SPOILERS***


I really really liked this one. Perhaps because I had a lot of experience with working for a company constantly downsizing (and believe me had the cost been cheap enough Verizon would have totally done it by video chat) but the insulated world that the character had made for himself was beautiful in its simplicity. The girl played by Anna Kendrick that comes to work for him is heartbreaking as you watch her witness the devastation her job causes people, the loneliness she suffers from on the road, and ultimately her own tragedy. She also gets some of the best lines, "Men get such hardons from putting their names on things. You guys don't grow up. It's like you need to pee on everything. "

Vera Farmiga plays perhaps the most charmingly deceptive role of the film as Clooney's apparent soulmate. No real spoilers here but the final scene left me feeling an odd mix of wonder and happiness, fear and depression. All at once. Maybe I liked this better than fuldog because Clooney's attitudes about travel and marriage mirrored my own so much. The Girl mentioned that but she also saw the ending of the film as proving to us that he was happy with his isolation, I didn't see it that way. I think that in the end he learned that the connections we make with people are the only things worth having.

On the way to that point though you get to see quite a bit of funny, some dark and some not. The people that Clooney deals with as part of his downsizing job are fascinating. Unknown actors speaking to the camera as if being interviewed about the process are almost painful to watch, the hurt seems so visceral. It is the encounters Clooneys has with several very good character actors that really show the depth of the script as people absorb the news they are going to be fired for no reason and respond in various ways, some funny, some heartwarming, and some very very sad.

Anyway. See it. I think this is one of those films they are going to be teaching in film classes in the years to come.

I finally got Lost downloaded and watched. This is my first experience watching it week to week as I only recently caught up with all the past seasons and I have to say, waiting is going to be total torture.

I also watched the first few episodes of Breaking Bad and it dragged me into it's sordid story. On the upside, I can watch Breaking Bad and learn about what life is like for my downstairs neighbors. Woohoo Meth lab!

if your neighbors have built a meth lab under you, you might want to call the Hazmat cleanup crew, those things are not very safe ya know....

DOCTOR WHO - made it to the Third incarnation (of episodes available on Netflix). Plastics factory and walking mannequins! Surprisingly I had no bad dreams despite watching right before bedtime....

quote:

those things are not very safe ya know....

Let him watch a few episodes.
He'll find out

quote:

Originally posted by editengine:
Unknown actors speaking to the camera as if being interviewed about the process are almost painful to watch, the hurt seems so visceral. It is the encounters Clooneys has with several very good character actors that really show the depth of the script as people absorb the news they are going to be fired for no reason and respond in various ways, some funny, some heartwarming, and some very very sad.

Turns out those people weren't actors.

And more than Clooney's OCD attitudes and self-built emotional moat, what kept rubbing me in a wrong way is the underlying 'when life hands you a lemon...' subtext.