Entertainment: Movies, TV

.:What I'm Watching:.

Across the Universe. [An American girl (Evan Rachel Wood) and a British lad (Jim Sturgess) fall in love amid the upheaval of the 1960s in this musical featuring classic Beatles songs and a mix of live action and innovative animation. On an excursion to America, Liverpool dock worker Jude (Sturgess) falls for Lucy (Wood). When Lucy's brother (Joe Anderson) is drafted, Jude and Lucy take a stand as anti-war activists. Dana Fuchs, Bono and Eddie Izzard co-star. ~netflix] okay, i'll admit. i'm not a fan of the beatles. i think i would've liked it more if i actually liked the beatles. i wanted to rate it 2.5 stars on netflix, but i can't give half stars... and i usually round up... so yeah. 3 outta 5 stars on netflix... but YOU know where i stand on this movie. hehe.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. [After Robert Ford (Casey Affleck, in an Oscar-nominated role) joins the most notorious gang in the West, he grows tired of the charismatic Jesse James (Brad Pitt) and begins to resent his fame. But by hatching a scheme to gun down James, Ford risks forever being branded a coward. Sam Shepard, Sam Rockwell, Mary-Louise Parker and Michael Parks also star in director Andrew Dominik's riveting Wild West drama adapted from Ron Hansen's acclaimed novel. ~netflix] wow. that title? it was a mouthful. [that's what she said!] heh. anyway, yeah. it's long and hard to handle. [that's what she said!] okay, okay. i'll stop. heh. anyway, who knew that casey affleck could act? i sure didn't. or maybe he just had a good director. i have "Gone Baby Gone" to watch sometime in this next week so i guess i can see if he really CAN act or if this was a fluke. anyway, this movie? pretty darn good.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age. [Reprising her Oscar-nominated role from 1998's Elizabeth, Cate Blanchett is once again at the head of the cast as the Virgin Queen (earning her another Oscar nod) in this Shekhar Kapur-directed sequel to that film. Focusing on the queen's tempestuous relationship with the adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh, the film also stars Clive Owen (as Raleigh), Geoffrey Rush (as Sir Francis Walsingham) and Samantha Morton (as Mary, Queen of Scots). ~netflix] the sequel was good. it was kind of all over the place because there was so much going on. pretty good, though. i do love me some cate blanchett. and clive owen is always so yummy, so yummy.

Harold and Maude. [A self-absorbed, death-obsessed teen (Bud Cort) and a geriatric, high-on-life widow (Ruth Gordon) find love in this comical cult favorite. Hassled by his domineering mother (Vivian Pickles) to play the dating game, the morbid Harold would rather attend funerals, which is where he meets the feisty Maude (natch). The seemingly mismatched pair forms a bond that turns into a highly unconventional -- but ultimately satisfying -- romance. ~netflix] it was cute in a macabre sorta way. what else can i really say about it? i guess it's about time i finally watched it.

Slings & Arrows, Season 1. [With a new job running the New Burbage Theatre Festival, has-been actor Geoffrey Tennant (Paul Gross) is at loose ends since the death of his beloved mentor Oliver Welles. Fortunately, Geoffrey soon discovers that his dearly departed friend is still present, in spirit, to help him reinvigorate the Shakespearean troupe. The only things in their way are an overly commercial marketing department, a hostile leading lady and a slightly dim male star. ~netflix] brilliant! most of the times the shows i enjoy i get into right off the bat. this took me a couple of episodes, but then i was hooked. and am i the only one who thinks rachel mcadams looks like jennifer garner? maybe it's just on this show, but man. every time i looked at her, i had to comment about it to steve. (and she gets a lot of camera time. hehe. poor steve. he suffers.)