Entertainment: Movies, TV

.:What I'm Watching:.

The Bank Job. [Based on a true 1971 event, this thriller tells the story of Terry (Jason Statham), a car dealer who becomes involved in a London bank heist only to find that the contents of the bank vault will draw him deeply and irrevocably into the city's criminal underbelly. Murder and scandal abound in this tale of corruption populated with a surprising mix of offenders, from low-level thugs to government officials and all the way up to the royal family. ~netflix] finally! jason statham in a good movie! i totally forgot that dude could act because he is usually in some suckfest of a movie. 4 stars.

Baran. [When 17-year-old Latif (Hossein Abedini) loses his job at a Tehran, Iran, construction site to the illegally hired Afghan Rahmat (Zahra Bahrami), he begins playing cruel pranks on Rahmat. Soon, however, Latif discovers that Rahmat is actually a girl, and he begins helping shoulder her burden at the construction site. When officials demand that all illegal workers be fired, Latif must choose between safety and social standing, and his young love. ~netflix] 3 stars. it was all right. it's slow and stuff and if you're not in the mood for this movie, i can see how someone might really dislike it. there's not a whole lot going on in terms of excitement. but i liked it.

Blood Brothers. [Inspired by John Woo's renowned Bullet in the Head, this highly stylized gangster film set in 1930s Shanghai follows three friends from a poor fishing village who travel to the big city in search of their fortune. What they find, however, is a seductive criminal underworld that tests their values and threatens to tear their friendship apart. Daniel Wu, Ye Liu and Tony Yang star. ~netflix] i don't know about this movie... it was... okay, i guess. i was expecting a little more, but some parts were pretty lame-y. okay, make that a lot of parts. the last shootout was okay, i guess... but i wouldn't really recommend it to anyone else. 2.5 stars. i mean, with the starpower behind it, you'd think it would be better. pretty disappointing.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog . [Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a 43-minute tragicomicmusical in three acts, each released as a separate episode. It was produced exclusively for Internet distribution and tells the story of Dr. Horrible (Billy), an aspiring supervillain, Captain Hammer, his nemesis, and Penny, their mutual love interest. The movie was written by writer/director Joss Whedon, his brothers Zack Whedon (a television writer) and Jed Whedon (a composer), and Jed's fiancée, actress Maurissa Tancharoen. The writing team penned the musical during the WGA writers' strike. The idea was to create something small and inexpensive, yet professionally done, in a way that would circumvent the issues that were being protested during the strike. ~wikipedia] it was awesome, awesome, awesome. 5 stars. if you didn't watch it when it was streaming a couple of weeks ago, either download it off iTunes or you can also watch it here, as well. free streaming is back!

Doctor Who: The Five Doctors. [This 90-minute special of Britain's long-running fantasy TV series first aired in 1983. When four of the current Doctor's incarnations fall prey to a rogue Time Scoop, they end up at the evil Death Zone of Gallifrey and must make it to the tomb of Rassilon to uncover the secret of the first Time Lord President before being sucked into a vortex. But they've got company -- the men are besieged by a Dalek, a Yeti, Cybermen and the Time Lord himself. ~netflix] i love the doctor who theme song. can i say that without sounding too nerdy? i don't know. i love the new doctor more, i think... but i still enjoy the old doctor whos. 3 stars.

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. [ Having satisfied their urge for White Castle, Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) jump on a plane to catch up with Harold's love interest, Maria, who's headed for Amsterdam. But the pair must change their plans when Kumar is accused of being a terrorist. This fun comedy follows the hapless stoners' misadventures as they become fugitives and try to evade being recaptured by the Department of Homeland Security. ~netflix] not great, but there were some funny parts. the first was way better, though. 3 stars.

He-Man, Season 1, Volume 2. [The battle for power continues on the planet Eternia as mighty warrior He-Man guards the secrets of Castle Grayskull from the evil Skeletor and his minions in this collection of episodes from the first season of the animated television series. Whenever danger threatens, Prince Adam and his timid tiger transform into muscular superhero He-Man and fearless Battlecat, saving the day with the help of loyal comrades Orko, Teela and Man-at-Arms. ~netflix] i love he-man. 5 stars!

A Man Named Pearl. [A Man Named Pearl tells the inspiring story of self-taught topiary artist Pearl Fryar. It is a subtle and intriguing film that is certain to open hearts and minds. It offers an upbeat message that speaks to respect for both self and others, and shows what one person can achieve when he allows himself to share the full expression of his humanity. ~imdb] in may, we watched a screener DVD of this movie. it's a pretty awesome movie and he is really amazing... read steve's review for more info. i gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

Meerkat Manor, Seasons 2 & 3. [Flower, Shakespeare, Yousarrian, Mozart and the rest of the Whiskers family are back for another season of high drama in the Kalahari Desert in this popular reality series from Animal Planet. This second season sees the group face even tougher challenges, with bitter new rivalries, vicious battles over territory, the disappearance of Shakespeare, two pending pregnancies and a potentially catastrophic love triangle. ~netflix] good lord, those meerkats are effin' cute. 4 stars!

State of Play. [Powerful politico Stephen Collins (David Morrissey) is embroiled in a scandal when his research assistant dies in a freak accident and his former campaign manager Cal McAffrey (John Simm), now a reporter, realizes the incident may be linked to the death of a drug dealer. As McAffrey digs deeper, he uncovers a dangerous connection between government and big business in this exciting conspiracy thriller from the BBC. ~netflix] reeeeally good. i see on netflix that they're making a hollywood remake of this mini-series. i don't think they could do it justice, but helen mirren and jason bateman are in it, so i'll definitely be keeping an eye out for it. 5 stars for this mini-series.

Vexille. [In a futuristic world where Japan has isolated itself with a magnetic field so it can continue the development of robotics and biotechnology, it's up to a U.S. special forces team to find a way inside. Dubbed SWORD, the team is led by a formidable female commander named Vexille, who's tasked with figuring out whether Japan's top secret experiments pose a serious threat to the world at large. ~netflix] pretty awesome. it was really well done, in my opinion. if you liked Appleseed, you will like this one. 4 out of 5 stars.