Unbreakable

Released in 2000, this may be my favorite work that M. Night Shyamalan has created.

Bedtime Stories

Released in 2008, it's time to watch this one again! The other day, Jeanne said, "I don't think I ever saw this one," so we had to give it a viewing. She did think that one or two parts were familiar, but she couldn't remember them. I also had the same reaction, although I remembered many parts, it's been long enough that it was a treat!

Narrated by Johnathan Pryce (I remember him from "Something Wicked This Way Comes" and "Brazil") the film is a wonderfully imaginative voyage into the world of some childrens imaginations. Mixed in are truly funny situations when bedtime stories become real in the life of Skeeter (Adam Sandler).

Grey's Anatomy Season 7 and Netflix

Okay, we got rid of satellite last year toward the end of season seven of Grey's anatomy and watched the first episode of the current season on Hulu. We were confused, we figured we'd missed the last episode, but it turns out that we missed five and that was too much to really know what was going on.

Fortunately, Netflix had those episode and we were able to watch them.

The other day I got the email about how they are chopping Netflix in half and renaming the DVD part. Now I know a lot of subscribers are angry and upset with these clowns, I'm just confused. I'm wondering what my plan should be. Go back to the DVR, record stuff and bail on Netflix? Join Hulu Premium? Keep both services? Get rid of both? I just don't want to pay so much for entertainment that isn't all that entertaining!

Whites

You can't buy it on DVD formatted for the US, but you can watch the first 6 episodes on HULU. Jeanne and I find it to be a very interesting and engaging comedy/drama about folks who work in a kitchen at a medium level resort in the UK. The head chef, Roland, is a man who has been passed over as one of the greats, so his career is somewhat in decline. Add in a strange owner, a quirky staff and an over wrought manager and you get a mix of delightful characters who make this very entertaining. If you like BBC dramas, you'll find this series a treat.

A Cold Day In Hell

Ick! This is a terrible movie. I'm writing this to warn you off. Don't bother renting this boring movie. It takes boring to a whole new level. There's only one thing worse than a badly written, slow moving movie and that's a badly written, slow moving movie with bad acting! And has this movie got bad acting. The opening scene happens inside a store which isn't believable at all. A trio on men walk in...there's no dialog...they stand around looking at stuff..another guy walks in. So the bad guys threaten to kill the store keep and the stranger kills them. Talk about bad! I've seen high school student videos that were better and more entertaining. And everybody in the film is fat! They must have been casting at a couch potato convention..so bad acting by fat guys! Hey, I'm not skinny, but but me up next to this bunch and I'll look much better! Really one of the worst movies I'm seen in recent memory.

Maybe you should watch it so you can appreciate a pretty good movie again!

Bad western, set in the old west. Long shots made everything look slow. The train looked slow, the "action" looked slow, even the train looked slow.

Galaxy Quest

It's a little surprising that this movie was made nearly 12 years ago. Just a funny, really funny parody of the phenomenon that happened to to actors that starred in "Star Trek."

But, what if REAL aliens contacted the washed up actors? I love this show! Tim Allen as the glory hound that believes in helping the aliens and going on the adventure. Allen Rickman is hilarious as the embittered Spock character and Sigourney Weaver is the communications expert who repeats everything the computer has just said.

"The Office" fans will recognize Raiin Wilson in a minor alien role.
Brandon Long is the head of the geeks who work to save the actors, you'll recognize him from Apple vs Mac commercials.

This is really clever while being FUN science fiction!
Time to revisit this great comedy.

Almost Famous

I don't often recommend "R" rated movies. But I recently watched "Almost Famous" for a second look and the film is still very good.

Cameron Crowe (who directed the film) took home the academy award for best screen play. The film came out in 2000 and marked one of the first memorable appearances of Kate Hudson in film.

The film is a fairly realistic portrayal of a kid who wants to write about rock and roll and finds an opportunity. It's loosely based on actual experiences of Cameron Crowe and so has an edginess that earned it it's R rating. By today's standards the number of "F" words would still put it over the P-13 rating, but it would be a very soft R.

I found the entertainment value of the film to be worth the small amount of bad language and I would recommend it for a second (or first) look.

New York Doll

You can rent this on Netflix. I liked it. It wasn't as engaging as many biographical films I've seen, but the story of a rock star who has hit rock bottom and joined the Mormon church is pretty unique.

I probably liked the documentary more than most folks because David Johansen, lead singer of the Dolls, plays an important role in one of my favorite movies. You'll remember him as the "Ghost Of Christmas Past" in "Scrooged". I remember him as "Looney," the goofy sidekick of Richard Dryfus in the movie "Let It Ride." You used to be able to rent it on netflix, but someone must have broken the last copy and they don't know when it'll be available again.

Towards the end of the documentary, David Johansen sings "A Poor Wayfaring Man Of Grief." This is an unexpected moment. one that brought tears to my eyes.

I don't expect others to appreciate this flick as much as I do, but to me, it was pretty enjoyable. Nominated for the 2005 Grand Jury Award at Sundance Film Festival, the film has impeccable credentials.

The IT Crowd

Occasionally crude, this British sitcom by the same producers that created the British version of "The Office" is quite clever.

The show is populated with 2 extreme geeks and a manager who knows little or nothing about computers.

Episode one opens with Jen getting the job and the boss telling her she would be working in the IT department because of her knowledge of computers. "You did say you have experience with computers, didn't you."
"Oh sure, I have experience receiving emails and ah..opening emails and ah..closing emails and ah..deleting emails..

You expect it to be a goofy sort of comedy, and it takes a couple of episodes to really get invested with these characters, but from the start, it's a clever, engaging comedy. I've been watching it on Netflix streaming and even Jeanne enjoys it! A little crass at times, there are some moments that are laugh out loud funny!

Ben Hur - 1959

Filmed in 1959, Ben Hur was a hit when it was made. Not many films in those days were produced for such a large sum. It cost $15 million, a huge amount then and the film took 11 academy awards.

I've seen it before and watched it again recently. Nearly Four hours on 2 discs from Netflix. This is a movie that requires a real commitment, but it stands up so well that the time just flies.

They used to show this film every year at Easter time, but with easier methods of getting your favorite movies, they don't seem to show repeats as often. Remember the old days when Wizard Of Oz was shown each year?

If you haven't seen Ben Hur, or haven't seen it for a long time, it's worth seeing it again.