Entertainment: A Whole Lotta Stuff... [the ??? weeks edition]

.:What I'm Watching:.

Encounters at the End of the World. [Celebrated documentary filmmaker Werner Herzog takes you on a wild and woolly journey to the South Pole, from the National Science Foundation's headquarters on Ross Island to some of Antarctica's most remote and dangerous terrain. With a keen eye for the wonders and sometimes hilarious peculiarities of this icy land's animal and human inhabitants, Herzog offers an astounding look at the world's most inhospitable landscape. ~netflix] interesting. the underwater stuff is really fascinating. it feels like it's a different world... and the people are fascinating in that, oh-my-god-what-a-bunch-of-freaks sorta way. 4 stars. read steve's review for more info.

Futurama: Bender's Game. [Matt Groening's Emmy Award-winning sitcom blasts into the realm of feature film in this animated adventure that traps the Planet Express crew in a fantastical world where anything can happen -- and does. Billy West is back as the voice of hapless pizza delivery boy Philip J. Fry, with John DiMaggio and Katey Sagal reprising their roles as Bender the potty-talking robot and Cycloptic captain Turanga Leela. Rich Little and George Takei guest star. ~netflix] shit gets even crazier than usual in this one and i love it. the extras are funny, too. especially when they're talking about D&D. i never played, but i can definitely relate. hehe. 5 stars.

Hancock. [Will Smith stars as Hancock, a down-and-out superhero forced to employ a PR expert, Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), to help repair his image when the public grows weary of all the damage he has inflicted during his life-saving heroics. Ray's idea of imprisoning the antihero to make the world miss him proves successful, but will Hancock stick to his new sense of purpose or slip back into old habits? Charlize Theron co-stars in Peter Berg's action comedy. ~netflix] it was better than i thought it would be. i was expecting absolutely nothing, so i guess that's not really saying much. heh. i love jason bateman. anytime i get to see him on screen, it makes me happy. 3 stars.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army. [The identities of Hellboy (Ron Perlman), Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) and Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) are exposed as they face a new threat: The Golden Army, assembled of long-hidden mythological creatures, is prepared to attack. As fantastic monsters and paranormal phenomena begin to take over, the trio races to destroy the army's leader, the vengeful Prince Nuada (Luke Goss). John Alexander co-stars in Guillermo del Toro's spellbinding sequel. ~netflix] i really liked it. apparently, a lot of nerds didn't like it. but i did. 4 stars.

His Girl Friday. [Cary Grant is an ultrasophisticated alpha male: Swaggering, cocky and ready for anything, he's alternately irresistible and infuriating to women. As a fast-talking newspaper publisher determined to win back his ex-wife (Rosalind Russell) from her new fiancé, Grant's comedic gifts are allowed free rein -- and Russell matches every bon mot. The dialogue crackles like thin ice on a frozen lake. ~netflix] it was all right. not one of my favorite classics, but not bad. and dude, where DOES she get those fabulous hats? hehe. 3 stars.

Planet B-Boy. [This Tribeca Film Festival selection affords viewers exclusive access to the underground world of break dancing, charting the highs and lows of five B-boy teams practicing for the all-important "Battle of the Year." Combining stunning dance footage from Japan, Germany, South Korea, France and the United States, documentarian Benson Lee sets out to show that break dancing didn't fade into history -- it merely evolved into a remarkable art form. ~netflix] not only is the subject matter fascinating, but the documentary itself is very well done. even though i could've looked up the winner, i didn't so i could really get into it. and i totally did. i was so tense by the end of the documentary. heh. so awesome. 5 stars.

Reno 911, Season 2. [Picking up where they left off, Thomas Lennon, Kerri Kenney, Ben Garant and the rest of the comic cast return for more tomfoolery as ham-fisted cops trying to safeguard the town. The sophomore season, which includes 16 hysterical installments, features guest appearances by Danny DeVito and singer Kenny Rogers. Among the bonus material are an Aspen Comedy Festival featurette and a host of deleted scenes and outtakes. ~netflix] this show cracks me up. i don't know what it is about this show, but it ALWAYS makes me laugh. 4 stars.

Step Brothers. [Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell) and Dale Doback (John C. Reilly) -- two grown men still living at home -- turn into jealous, competitive stepbrothers when their single parents marry in this Judd Apatow-produced comedy. Brennan's constant competition with Dale strains his mom's (Mary Steenburgen) marriage to Dale's dad (Richard Jenkins). Will the reluctant stepsiblings ever see eye to eye? And more importantly, will they ever leave the nest? ~netflix] there are some funny ass lines in there. way funnier than talladega nights. but it's totally bottom of the barrel humor, so you have to be in the mood for it. 3 stars.

Transsiberian. [An American couple (Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer) seeking to smooth out their rough marriage buys a ticket on the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway. But a chance meeting with two other passengers ends in an accidental murder and high intrigue. Ben Kingsley and Thomas Kretschmann co-star as two Russian police officers trying to solve the baffling case in Brad Anderson's taut and gritty thriller. ~netflix] pretty exciting thriller. i was surprised at how tense i was throughout the movie. also, i'm never going to that part of the world. ever. hehe. 4 stars.

Tropic Thunder. [Drawing inspiration from films like Apocalypse Now and Platoon, this war movie send-up from director and star Ben Stiller follows a group of dimwitted actors forced to become real-life soldiers when they're abandoned in the jungles of Southeast Asia. Stiller leads an all-star cast that includes Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey and Nick Nolte, with Tom Cruise in an unforgettable role as a rude, crude movie mogul. ~netflix] i don't know why everyone hated this movie. it was kinda funny. the "trailers" were effin' HILARIOUS. and robert downey jr was awesome, as well. i dug it. 3 stars.

Wall-E. [In a futuristic world, human beings have destroyed Earth and evacuated the planet, leaving the cleanup to an army of robots they've programmed to do their dirty work. Due to a mishap, the dutiful WALL-E is the only one left. But with the arrival of a female probe named EVE, the monotony of WALL-E's existence is broken -- and he experiences love for the first time. Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo) directs this Pixar tale with a sci-fi twist. ~netflix] so cute! i really enjoyed it. just goes to show you that even robots need love. hehe. charming and sweet, yet this movie has so many different elements... robots, sci-fi, post-apocalpyse schtuff, and it's even a love story. but somehow they just really made it work on so many levels. 4.5 stars.

.:What Mia's Watching:.

The Year Without Santa Claus. [This Christmas, visions of sitting by the fireside dance in Santa's head. Tired of a world where children have lost the Christmas spirit, Santa decides to sit out the Yuletide. Can Mrs. Claus and the elves convince Santa to load up his sleigh? Produced and directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr. (Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer), The Year Without Santa Claus is fun for the whole family. ~netflix] i love the Snow Miser and the Heat Miser. hehe. and mia really enjoyed it. she's really getting into the stop motion animation. my daughter's the coolest. :D hehe. 4 stars.

.:What I'm Listening To:.

Violence Recordings: Salvation. calyx, teebee, and hive. some of the tracks i loved, some were just all right. but it's a pretty solid album. 3.5 stars.

Q-Tip: The Renaissance. i thought it was really good. i'm not a hip-hop guru or anything, but i do like good music. 4 stars.

Rockabye Baby: Radiohead. it's pretty awesome. it's quite relaxing. and it's never too early to expose your child to Radiohead. hehe. 4.5 stars.

Stanton Warriors: Stanton Sessions, Vol. 3. i love me some stanton warriors. this album is thoroughly enjoyable with just a couple of moments that didn't quite work... as a whole, though, great album. 4 stars.

.:What I'm Reading:.

Burma Chronicles - Guy DeLisle. i love reading Guy's travelogues. (you like how i'm on a first name basis with him? heh.) i thought Pyongyang was a little better, but this was still a very interesting read. 4 stars.

.:What I'm Playing:.

Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures. [Xbox 360] i love these lego games. they're SO much fun! steve and i play co-op on them and we kick ass. hehe. i would recommend these games to ANYONE. can't wait to get Lego Batman. when we played Lego Star Wars, we played on the Playstation... and let me tell you, it looks WAY better on the xbox. there was one glitch with the co-op mode, but it wasn't so bad.