The Brits

I've been on a bit of a British kick lately. BBC is awesome. Case and point, here is what they released last year as an April Fools joke:



Bloody Brilliant. Cheers!

2008 Movies

The Award Season Awesome:
Milk
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Awesome:
Iron Man (Saw it 3x. Own the DVD)
The Dark Knight
The Incredible Hulk (2x, DVD)
Wall-E (3x, DVD)
Quantum of Solace
Son of Rambow

The Award Season Good:
Changeling
Australia

The Good:
Tropic Thunder (2x, DVD)
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
Get Smart (2x, DVD)
Vantage Point
The Fall
Burn After Reading
Cloverfield
Bolt

The Guilty Pleasures:
27 Dresses (DVD)

The Just Okay:

21

Definitely, Maybe
The Other Boleyn Girl
Run, Fatboy, Run
Forbidden Kingdom
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Choke
Zack and Miri Make A Porno
Hancock
Four Christmases

The Bad:
Jumper
Smart People

The God Awful:
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Crap..err..Skull
Sex and the City: The Movie
Speed Racer

Movies I Didn't Get To See That Came Out The Year, But Will Eventually (Bless Netflix):

Battle In Seattle
Defiance
Doubt
Easy Virtue
Frost/Nixon
Genova
Happy-Go-Lucky
Henry Poole Is Here
How To Lose Friends and Alienate People
Hunger
I've Loved You So Long
Inkheart
JCVD
Let the Right One In
My Name is Bruce
Not Quite Hollywood
Rachel Getting Married
Revolutionary Road
RocknRolla
Role Models
Slumdog Millionaire
Synecdoche, New York
Tale of Despereaux
The Reader
The Wrestler
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
W.
Yes Man

You can compare this to the list of movies I wanted to see this year from my old blog last December 2007: HERE.

Last Week of the Year in Netflix

"Time Bandits" (1981) Description from Netflix: In Terry Gilliam's fantastic voyage through time and space, a young boy escapes from his gadget-obsessed parents to join a band of time-traveling dwarves. On their journey, they visit Napoleon (Ian Holm), Robin Hood (John Cleese) and King Agamemnon (Sean Connery), among others. It's a giddy, visually outrageous fairy tale, a revisionist history lesson and a satire on technology gone awry.

This was one of my favorite movies as a kid and I was curious how it held up. I remembered a lot more than I thought I did. I didn't remember Ian Holm in it at all, though and he was brilliant as Napoleon. It was just as good as I remembered it.


"Brazil" (1985) Description from Netflix: Part social commentary, part outrageous fantasy, this black comedy presents a future where society is completely controlled by an inefficient government. Sam Lowrey (Jonathan Pryce) is a daydreaming civil servant who spots an error in a sea of paperwork, leading to the arrest of an innocent man. While Lowrey attempts to right the wrongful arrest, the state incorrectly assumes him to be terrorist Harry Tuttle (Robert De Niro) and goes after him.

I had seen bits and pieces of this over the years, but never watched the whole thing until now. It was a nice surprise the movie takes place at Christmas time and has now been added to my list on non-traditional Christmas movies. I thought it was a bit slow compared to Terry Gilliam's other movies and I'm not sure I would have the inclination to see it again. However, the music is brilliant and makes the use of it in the Wall-E commercials all the more funny.

"The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" (1989) Description from Netflix: Monty Python animator Terry Gilliam goes the fantasyland distance in this journey to the moon, to the inside of a whale and back again with a Baron in search of his old comrades-in-arms. Although it's not the crowd-pleaser Gilliam's Time Bandits was, this highly imaginative, fun-loving story still entertains all ages. Look for Robin Williams playing the Moon King and Uma Thurman as Botticelli's inspiration for Venus.

I liked this the best of the three. It reminded me a lot of "The Fall" which came out this year. If you like one, you'll like the other. I think if I had seen this when it originally came out, it would have been one of my favorites. It is still very odd and Robin Williams is even odder.

"Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" (2007) Description from Netflix: John C. Reilly stars as fictional pop star Dewey Cox in this parody of the increasingly predictable rags-to-riches music biopic. On his hard-knocks journey toward stardom, Dewey crosses paths with the likes of Elvis, Buddy Holly and the Beatles. Before long, Dewey is writing hits, making women swoon and doing food endorsements -- in between over-the-top moments of silliness, which producers Jake Kasdan and Judd Apatow are so adept at creating.

This was trying to make fun of all the music bio movies that have come out the last few years. It had it's moments, but the over-the-top comedy and the weird pacing ruined the movie for me. I didn't like it very much, however, it does have very quotable lines. Had Judd Apatow actually directed it, I think it would have been much better.

"Monster House" (2006) Description from Netflix: Monsters under the bed are bad enough, but what happens when an entire house is out to get you? In this Oscar-nominated animated adventure produced by Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg, three teens go up against a decrepit neighboring home and unlock its frightening secrets. The all-star voice cast includes Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jon Heder, Jason Lee, Catherine O'Hara, Kathleen Turner and Fred Willard.

LOVED this movie. This is a perfect kids horror movie. Completely nailed the characters and made a very funny and scary at times movie. I HIGHLY recommend. I'm mad at myself for not seeing this in the theater when it came out. Amazingly good for a non-Pixar movie.

"P.S. I Love You" (2007) Description from Netflix: Holly Kennedy (Hilary Swank), a young widow living in New York, has just lost her beloved husband Gerry (Gerard Butler) to a brain tumor. Inconsolable, Holly finds that Gerry left for her a series of letters to help cope with the grief. As months pass, Holly discovers new messages from Gerry encouraging her to go on living. And while Holly's friends fear the letters will mire her in the past, they, in fact, give her strength for the future.

Completely mediocre. The commercials ruined it for me because I kept waiting for scenes to come up. Meh at best. The scenes in Ireland were pretty, but that is the nicest thing I can say about it. Not worth renting. Maybe catch it on cable when there is nothing else on.

Things I Have Learned in 2008

In no particular order, I have learned for myself that:

• No matter what anyone says about video games, my endless hours of playing Tetris was the biggest help in packing and moving.
• Gerard Butler fans are creepy and scary.
• Green Lake is a beautiful place no matter what season it is.
• iPods do not like cold weather.
• Watching movies/television shows instantly on Netflix is awesome.
• I seem to have no sense of my surroundings when taking pictures, but any injury accrued is totally worth it.
• Sushi is not as scary as it seems, but I am still not eating eel.
• Being on the set of "Chuck" on the Buy More set was as awesome as it seems.
• "Middleman" was under-appreciated and deserved more fans.
• My LA apartment had a vortex in the kitchen that liked to transform items into other items.
• Club 33 is worth every penny.
• Embarrassing yourself at a movie premiere is not the end of the world. Side not to that story, Edgar Wright has no memory of this incident and I am grateful.
• Arm and Hammer's Essentials laundry detergent is awesome.
• When I'm tired and stressed, my ability to judge how hungry I am doesn't work.
• I am not a pleasant person to be around when I am hungry, tired and stressed.
• I have the same taste in music as the person or persons in charge of choosing the music for "Grey's Anatomy."
• Water aerobics and I are not good friends.
  

I have learned things from my family and friends, such as:

• Six seconds in an industrial dryer is a lifetime.
• Billy Joel doesn't usually ride in limos.
• Pan flutes prevent the furry death.
  

Things that I already knew that were re-enforced:

• My friends are awesome.
• My former Disney co-workers are awesome.
• It is still a tie if zombies or robots are going to destroy us all.
• Tivo is gift from the technology gods to be worshiped and revered.
• If someone asks you if you are a god, you say yes.
• Common sense is not that common.
• People are stupid in earthquakes.
• Daniel Craig is an awesome James Bond.
  

Merry Christmas!

Twilight Zone Marathon

Usually on a holiday Scifi Channel or another channel will run a "Twilight Zone" marathon. Even in the Christmas episode of "Chuck" they reference this annual event. Sometimes it's Christmas, sometimes it is Memorial Day, but, regardless, you find yourself spending the day with Rod Sterling. I decided to put together my own programming if I were to get to chose the episodes. Here are my favorite "Twilight Zone" episodes in order with what number episode they are (descriptions from Wikipedia):

"A World of His Own” – 36 - A playwright has the power to create what he describes on his recording machine.

“To Serve Man” – 89 - An alien race arrives on earth with a promise to help solve mankind's problems.

“The After Hours” – 34 - Marsha White is a woman browsing for a gift for her mother in a department store. She ends up finding out that she's not the person she thinks she is.

“The Eye of the Beholder” – 42 - A woman undergoes surgery on her face in order to look like everybody else.

“Time Enough At Last” – 8 - A man who loves to read survives a nuclear explosion.

“Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up” – 64 - A group of bus travelers find that there is an extra person when they stop at a diner.

“The Thirty Fathom Grave” – 104 - A Navy destroyer in 1963 discovers a sunken World War II submarine on the ocean floor that's making noise.

“Living Doll” – 126 - A girl receives a talking doll that has a life of its own.

“The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street” – 22 - At the sound of the roar and the flash of light, neighbors whose contact with the outside world is mysteriously cut off begin to suspect each other of being aliens.

“Stop Over in Quiet Town” – 150 - A married couple wake up alone in a deserted strange town after leaving a party the night before.

“Five Characters In Search of an Exit” – 79 - An Army major in dress uniform, a clown, a hobo, a ballet dancer and a bagpiper find themselves in a giant cylinder with no memory of who they are or how they got there.

“Nick of Time” – 43 - While on his honeymoon, a man begins to be controlled by the answer cards given by a fortune telling machine.

“The Parallel” – 113 - An astronaut blacks out while orbiting the earth and ends up in a parallel universe.

“The Howling Man” – 41 - A man traveling in Europe on foot stumbles across a religious order that has trapped the Devil.

“The Dummy” – 98 - A ventriloquist is controlled by his dummy.

“A Nice Place to Visit” – 28 - A criminal who is killed in a shootout with the police believes that he has made it to heaven.

“A Penny For Your Thoughts” – 52 - A man gains the ability to read minds when a coin he flips stands on its edge.

“Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” – 123 - A man recovering from a nervous breakdown sees a creature on the wing of the airplane he's on.

“The Midnight Sun” – 75 - A woman tries to survive as the earth hurtles toward the sun.

“A Kind of Stop Watch” – 124 - A man receives a stopwatch, from a stranger in a bar, that can stop time.

“I Shot An Arrow Into the Air” – 15 - A manned space flight crash lands on what the astronauts believe to be an unknown asteroid.

“Kick the Can” – 86 - A retirement home resident thinks that he has found the secret to youth.

“Walking Distance” – 5 – While visiting his boyhood hometown, a middle aged executive finds himself in the past.

“An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge” – 142 - A Civil War civilian prisoner is about to be hanged from Owl Creek Bridge.

The 1980s Revival Episodes:

“I of Newton” – 12 - A professor (Sherman Hemsley) attempting to solve a difficult math problem finds himself matching wits with a demon.

“Children’s Zoo” – 3- A girl trades in her parents for new ones.

“Button, Button” – 20 - A stranger gives a down-and-out couple a box with a button on it. He states that if they press the button, they would receive a large sum of money but also that someone would die.

“The Star” – 13 - On an interstellar journey, far in the future, an astrophysicist and a priest learn they have discovered a long-dead world that has been emitting a signal for eons.

And of course, the movie.

Movie-aholic

Yes, I am well aware of my Movie/Television addictions. I am also aware lately a lot of these posts have been movie related.

I have a lot of free time at home. I also do other things while I am watching all these movies. For example, I consumed half a season of "House" while I was backing up my computer and then defragging it, vacuuming, two loads of laundry, dusting, cleaning the kitchen and scrubbing the bathroom. So don't think I just vegg out on my couch-shaped blankets mindlessly staring at the television.

Lately with the weather, I've been indoor a lot. Plus most of my shows are on hiatus for the holidays so I'm going through my Netflix faster than usual.

Coming next week I will be detailing my resolutions and hopefully this will cause more non-movie related posting and getting out of the house more often.

While I admit I am an addict, I totally have it under control and use my powers for good as much as for evil. For example, when last I posted it my Netflix rank was: 13,332 and now it is: 12,751. I'll let you decide if that is good or evil. I should add I am determined to be under 10,000 by the end of the year. I need to keep my geek cred high since I am out of LA and have less access.

Another Week In Netflix

"No Reservations" (2007) Description from Netflix: In this remake of the award-winning European romantic comedy Mostly Martha, Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Kate, an emotionally fragile chef whose life is turned upside down when she becomes guardian of her niece (Abigail Breslin). Used to absolute control -- both in her kitchen (which she rules with an iron hand) and at home -- Kate now faces chaos on all fronts, as both the child and her new sous chef (Aaron Eckhart) work their way into her heart.

A cute romantic comedy. Nothing earth shattering about it and I'd be more curious to hear what professional chefs thought of the series. They have great chemistry on screen and Abigail Breslin is always fun to watch. It's give it a solid B.

"The Golden Compass" (2007) Description from Netflix: After overhearing a shocking secret, precocious orphan Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) trades her carefree existence roaming the halls of Jordan College for an otherworldly adventure in the far North, unaware that it's part of her destiny. Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and Sam Elliott co-star in this fantasy-laden family adventure based on the first book of the Philip Pullman trilogy His Dark Materials.

I was unaware that this was part one of a series so the non-ending ending was a little off putting. It is a fun adventure story that I would put on par with "Neverending Story." The way they explain parallel worlds and souls is interesting. I probably wouldn't buy this on DVD, but I would be interested in seeing the sequels. Nicole Kidman gives her usual performance and Daniel Craig is amazing as usual.

"Stardust" (2007) Description from Netflix: A young man journeys to a magical world to win the heart of his true love in this charming fantasy based on Neil Gaiman's novel. Tristan (Charlie Cox) has promised Victoria (Sienna Miller) that he'll retrieve a fallen star to secure her love. Along the way, he battles a pirate named Captain Shakespeare (Robert De Niro), an evil witch (Michelle Pfeiffer) and other assorted goblins and ghosts. Peter O'Toole, Claire Danes and Rupert Everett co-star.

This movie was a lot of fun and I would put it on par with "Princess Bride." It's got something for everyone and was a lot of fun to watch. Claire Danes was a little bland at first, but warmed up as the movie went on. Charlie Cox was great and I'm surprised he hasn't done more movies. Robert DeNiro was a bit over the top for my tastes, but otherwise the movie was a lot of fun. I recommend and have added it to my wish list.

"The Limey" (1999) Description from Netflix: After his release from a British prison, a former professional thief (Terence Stamp) finds out his daughter has been murdered in Los Angeles and travels there to learn the truth about her death. With the investigative assistance of another ex-con (Luis Guzman), he comes face to face with a high-rolling record producer (Peter Fonda), with whom his daughter was having an affair. Lesley Ann Warren co-stars, and Steven Soderbergh directs.

This was recommended to me because of the editing. I didn't like it at first, but it did get better as the movie went a long. Can't say I recommend it unless you like watching Terence Stamp being a bad ass which is the only fun part of the movie. Steven Soderbergh movies seem to be hit or miss with me. I'd go with miss on this one.

The bad part of being in a winter wonderland...

Seattle crash leaves bus wheels dangling over I-5

By GENE JOHNSON

SEATTLE (AP) — Two charter buses crashed Friday on a Seattle street, pushing one through a guardrail next to Interstate 5 and leaving its front wheels dangling above the freeway. Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Helen Fitzpatrick said 11 young adults were taken to Harborview Medical Center with minor injuries from flying glass. Two others refused to go to the hospital.

Fitzpatrick said there was no danger of either bus going over the guardrail, which is about 20 feet above the freeway. She said the 80 passengers were able to get off the buses before emergency vehicles arrived.

The state Department of Transportation closed the freeway lanes below.

The exact cause of the accident was not immediately known, but Seattle police said the winter weather and icy streets contributed.

Nicole Maxie, a passenger, told KING-TV that the buses were carrying students with the Columbia Basin Job Corps home from Moses Lake for Christmas break. She said they were part of a three-bus caravan bound for downtown Seattle's bus station. The third bus was not involved in the accident.

Reco Collins, a 16-year-old passenger, told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that one bus crashed into the railing and was then struck by the second bus, pushing it farther over the side.

Let It Snow!

We got out of work early so we could be home before dark. I grabbed my camera and took some pictures:

Mad Men

"Mad Men" is the first original television series brought to the AMC channel. It takes place in 1960 in New York City. The show revolves around the creative department of an ad agency. Specifically, around one creative director named Don Draper.

The pilot episode opens with these words:

Mad Men: A term coined in the late 1950's to describe the advertising executives of Madison Avenue...They coined it.

The show is brilliant. The characters are interesting and complex. The main character is charismatic, caring and a jerk all at the same time.

The show nails the era with everyone drinking and smoking, pretty much all the time. A time before equal rights, sexual harassment lawsuits, etc.

I rented the first season on Netflix (second season isn't out yet). It was driving me nuts at first because a lot of the actors looked familar, but I couldn't place them right away. The wife of the main character was one of the American girls in "Love Actually." The young guy trying to work his way up in the company is the uber-annoying son of Angel in Joss Whedon's series "Angel." I knew the head of the secretaries as one of the con-artists in one of my favorite series "Firefly" and the big boss was a union organizer from a 90s series called "Homefront."

The show deserves all of its awards and nomination and all the gushing that NPR does over the show. More people should be watching it.

I highly recommend!

Breaking the Pact

When I moved into my apartment, I realized that there are quite a few spiders living in and around my apartment building. I made a deal with them. They stay out of my space and I will stay out of theirs. They cross into my space and they take their lives into their own hands..err...legs.

If they made a web where I could see and or reach it, I would relocate the web but allow the spider to escape. One spider tried to test this theory by building a web in my bedroom doorway while I slept.

I haven't killed a single spider until the other night. One just dropped from the ceiling and into the sink while I was brushing my teeth. It was the kind with the really long legs. I gave him a chance to get out of the way, but alas he ended up going for a spin down the water slide that is my sink. Yes, I could have relocated him outside, but he broke the agreement and invaded my space.

Maybe he tripped, maybe he was attack and maybe he was on drugs, the world shall never know. For more of spiders on drugs:

Another Week in Netflix

Last week's Netflix:

Northanger Abbey (2007) Description from Netflix: A chance invite to the country home of a family friend results in the blossoming romance between hyperimaginative, romance fanatic Catherine Morland (Felicity Jones) and Henry Tilney (JJ Feild), the young master of the estate. Directed by Jon Jones, this charming, made-for-TV adaptation of Jane Austen's posthumously published gothic parody also stars Carey Mulligan, William Beck and Desmond Barrit.

As some of you may know, I have a weakness for Jane Austen stories. This is one I was not familiar with and I thoroughly enjoyed. I look forward to reading the book. It also helps the main character shares my name.

The Fortune Cookie (1966) Description from Netflix: Shyster William Gingrich (Walter Matthau) foresees a financial bonanza after Cleveland Browns star "Boom Boom" Jackson accidentally levels cameraman Harry Hinkle (Jack Lemmon) -- Gingrich's brother-in-law. Barely hurt, Hinkle is loath to help Gingrich scam the insurance company till realizing the moola might lure back his ex. A budding rapport with the guilt-ridden Jackson, however, begins gnawing at Hinkle's conscience.

This is yet another movie that proves Billie Wilder is a genius and Matthau and Lemmon have the best screen chemistry ever. A great little movie which I would recommend along with everything else Billie Wilder does.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008) Description from Netflix: After losing yet another nanny position because of her gruff demeanor, Guinevere Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) mistakenly lands an assignment as the assistant of an American starlet (Amy Adams) and finds herself swept up in a dizzying world of glamour and high society. Based on the novel by Winifred Watson, this charming 1940s-era tale also stars Ciarán Hinds, Lee Pace, Shirley Henderson and Mark Strong.

A very cute movie that makes you love Amy Adams and Frances McDormand all the more. It has a very Doris Day feel to it and is a nice pick me up no brainer period comedy. I recommend adding to your list.

Netflix Rankings

Netflix has started ranking it's members. The ranking is decided by a few factors (according to the website): number of highly helpful reviews (movies with few reviews provide most value), number of fans (people who have added you as a "Favorite") and movies added to queues from your personal pages. It also takes into effect how many movies you have rated and how many rentals you have.

You all want to know my rank, don't you? Well, to put it in perspective, here are some of my Netflix friend's ranks (Names omitted to protect the innocent and the non-innocent):

Friend A: 7,086,508
Friend B: 3,244,351
Friend C: 3,043,767
Friend D: 2,359,153
Friend E: 2,095,060
Friend F: 1,658,214
Friend G: 1,560,741
Friend H: 998,617
Friend I: 918,322
Friend J: 700,018
Friend K: 594,239
Friend L: 499,897
Friend M: 246,556
Friend N: 186,082
Friend O: 41, 471
Friend P: 16,592

So as you can see there are at least a little over 7 million Netflix users. So what is my rank out of all of these?

That would be 13,332. BOO YA!

My new goal is to break that 10,000 mark.

If you are not one of my Netflix buddies yet, you can be by clicking HERE.

TED: John Walker Re-Creating Great Performances

John Walker, a software entrepreneur, explains how to re-create great performances so it sounds as if you were in the room when it was recorded. Did I mention a computer does this and not a human?



I've said it before and I will say it again "It's all fun and games until skynet goes active." This is one of those fun things.

iTunes Roulette

One of my friends was saying that when a new person starts in their department, they bring their iPod in and have to hit shuffle. They look at the first 25 songs to get an idea about the person. I thought I might try this for here:

"Hard Luck Guy" Eddie Hinton
"Same in Any Language" Ruckus
"Love Will Tear Us Apart" Susanna & The Magical Orchestra
"Aren't You The Guy" They Might Be Giants
"65 Mustang" Five For Fighting
"Star Trek: The Next Generation" Theme Song
"How High the Moon" Ella Fitzgerald
"Buffy: the Vampire Slayer theme" Herder
"Race Car Ya-Yas" Cake
"My World Is Over" Diane Dane (That Thing You Do)
"Why Can't A Man Stand Alone" Elvis Costello
"The Heart That Keeps You" Brian Vander Ark
"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom theme" John Williams
"Pershing Square" score from "Speed"
"Barcelona" Rufus Wainwright
"It's Not Happening" The Be Good Tanyas
"When Robots Attack" Lemon Demon
"Land of No Return" Wild Sweet Orange
"Don Giovanni, k-527 - Act 2: Commendatore Scene" Mozart (Amadeus soundtrack)
"In The Closet" Michael Jackson
"Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" Diana Krall
"Krap Karate" Tripod
"Little Green" Joni Mitchell
"Underworld" Underworld
"Hello" Oasis

So what does this say about me? That I have lots of soundtracks, I know a bunch of obscure bands and that my taste in music is all over the place.

Brother, Can You Spare A Fry?

(file photo)

Near my work there is a Burger King. There is no water near this particular area, yet there is a duck. This duck hangs out my the drive thru window. He paces along the side until a car pulls up to the window. He then lines himself up with your car window, tilts head, looks into your soul and with mental telepathy asks for a fry.

Another Week In Netflix

Here is what I watched this past week:

"Wanted" (2008) Description from Netflix: Wesley Gibbon (James McAvoy) is just an ordinary guy, unaware that his long-lost father is one of the world's most notorious assassins. But when his father is killed, a mysterious associate named Sloan (Morgan Freeman) arrives, offering Wesley the chance to fill dad's shoes. Mentored by Sloan's deputy, Fox (Angelina Jolie), Wesley carries out the will of the mythological Fates, who see Wesley's targets in a magical loom.

Wow, did this movie suck. I was expecting to like it a little, but it was just pure crap. Don't get me wrong, I love James McAvoy and I love bad action movies, but this was just unbelievable. I had nothing to connect to. The characters were unbelievably annoying. The plot was paper thin. The effects weren't even that great. I will wipe this movie from my memory and will not count it against James' career.

"Recount" (2008) Description from Netflix: This made-for-TV, Emmy-winning film chronicles the extraordinary behind-the-scenes drama that unfolded in the weeks following the highly controversial 2000 election -- a presidential race that further split an already divided America. With the country's leadership hanging in the balance after the closest vote in history, the battle between George W. Bush and Al Gore would come down a hotly contested vote count in Florida. Kevin Spacey and Laura Dern star.

This HBO original movie was very well done. I didn't exactly understand all the things going on at the time, but I felt this explained everything very clearly. I now understand people freaking out about this more. While it is very biased I felt that they did a good job showing the other side's perspective. Amazing performances. I highly recommend.

"Jennifer 8" (1992) Description from Netflix: Andy Garcia stars as John Berlin, a detective who goes to work in a small Northern California town and is almost immediately pulled into investigating a gruesome murder spree. Eight unidentified blind women, code-named "Jennifer" by police files, are victims of a killer's gruesome handiwork. John works to uncover the mystery with the help of (and while protecting) the possible next victim, Helena Robinson, a blind woman played by Uma Thurman.

My friend, Mike, has been talking about this for a while so I threw it on my list. I was shocked at how good this movie was and how I had never really heard much about it. It had solid characters, plot and was a edge of your seat thriller. John Malkovich was BRILLIANT in his small role. The movie keeps you guessing and I can't recommend it enough. I am adding it to my wish list as we speak.

"Pieces of April" (2003) Description from Netflix: A young woman (Katie Holmes) tries to make Thanksgiving dinner for her estranged suburban parents (Oliver Platt and Patricia Clarkson) at her apartment on New York's Lower East Side, while also introducing them to her new boyfriend, Bobby (Derek Luke). Unfortunately, the meal doesn't go exactly the way she hoped it would … beginning with that temperamental oven!

I am a big fan of "Dan In Real Life" and this was the director's directoral debut. It is very indy. Katie Holmes (pre-brainwashing) was excellent and the story was very realistic. Good characters and plot. It needed some work in pacing and acting by certain people *cough* Sean Hayes *cough.* It was a good movie and I can recommend catching it on cable or something.

Friday Fun

Came across some funny Muppet bloopers I thought would be good for a random Friday:



Brilliant!

Rick Rolled

Some of you may have heard of "rickrolling" and some of you haven't a clue what I am talking about.

Here is a definition (wikipeda): typically involving the music video for the 1987 Rick Astley song "Never Gonna Give You Up"... is a bait and switch: a person provides a Web link that he or she claims is relevant to the topic at hand, but the link actually takes the user to the Astley video. The URL can be masked or obfuscated in some manner so that the user cannot determine the true source of the link without clicking. When a person clicks on the link and is led to the web page, he or she is said to have been "Rickrolled" (also spelled Rickroll'd).

This first happened in May 2007 and has increased in popularity leading to one of the best rickrolls ever. At this year's Macy's Day Parade a float, the song was interrupted and Rick Astley himself came out and sang "Never Gonna Give You Up." Here is the LINK.

Brilliant!

Faith in humanity falling

When people apply for a job, they usually send an email. Before I even look at the body of the email, I see their email address. While "bustacapinurazz@email.com" or "cuteandfluffybunny69@furries.com" might be funny to use to send emails to friends that isn't going to help convince me these are quality people.

When I open the email and see their resume and their name is misspelled (you can tell by it being spelled two different ways in the email and/or resume itself), this also doesn't help.

If they have committed any crimes, there is a space to fill that in on the online application. Whether or not they tell us, we will find out about it when we run the background check. I think that if you have committed a crime, that you should be able to spell said crime. I cannot being to tell you how many people have committed "asalt" or got busted with "drug parafinelia." But the best ones are the ones that try to explain like "my dad's girlfriend yelled at me so I took her car."

I will then call them and tell them that they failed the background check. Some will argue with you telling you that it shouldn't be on there because they haven't gone to trial yet or it happened when they were under 18 and it is supposed to come off at 18. I explain it goes on their record when they are arrested ("Oh.") or that it takes seven years to come off and turning 18 has nothing to do with it ("Really? Huh.")

*sigh* One or more of these things happens every day. We are moving closer and closer to the movie "Idiotcracy" being a documentary with each passing day.

Two Guys Drinking At A Bar Episode 17

Mike posted a new "Two Guys Drinking At A Bar" up:



Nice to see what the boys would do if they were animated.

This Week In Netflix

As stated before here are my Netflix watchings for this week.

"Golden Eye" (1995) Netflix description: New Bond Pierce Brosnan is thrown right into the action before the title song with an eye-opening cliff dive onto a plane. Sporting his signature debonair attitude and pricey gadgets, Bond investigates the destruction of a Russian satellite base with the help of the blast's survivor. Villains such as the sultry Onatopp (Famke Janssen) keep the tone playful even during the elaborate action sequences, including a chase scene involving a tank.

This was my favorite of the newer Bond movies until the Daniel Craig movies happened. I thought I would see it again. WOW. Dated. It was tons campier than I remembered. While it is much more quotable than the current version, they really only updated somethings and left a lot from the old days. It made me appreciate the newer Bond all the more. I can't believe how much I remembered liking this movie. What was I thinking? Wow. I'm going to go hug my "Casino Royal" DVD now.

"Doctor Who" - Season 4 (2008) Netflix description: former runaway bride Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) joins the good Doctor (David Tennant) on his intergalactic adventures, fighting for justice and solving mysteries throughout space and time. The two battle psychic powers in ancient Pompeii, evil forces that lurk in an abandoned library and menacing alien wasps from the Silfrax Galaxy.

I had missed the final two episodes because I was moving and had to shut my cable off. I just got the final disc to catch up. This series is amazing and the more I watch it, the more I love it. I recommend to start watching this from the beginning of the reboot - Season 1. David Tennant has won me over and now is one of my favorite Doctors.

"The Savages" (2007) Netflix description: Carrying the emotional scars of an abusive childhood, siblings Wendy Savage (Laura Linney, in an Oscar-nominated role), a long-aspiring playwright, and Jon Savage (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a professor of drama, now face the challenge of caring for their ailing elderly father, Lenny (Philip Bosco), despite their emotional disconnect from him and each other.

I thought this was just okay. Better than some god awful indy movies ("Smart People") that I have seen, but doesn't touch others ("Little Miss Sunshine"). It was nice to see adult kids tackle dealing with having to take care of a sickly parent that was not their for them growing up. It showed how they were doing the best they could like their dad had done the best he could. Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman are solid as always.