Entertainment: Movies, TV, Music

.:What I'm Watching:.

21 Up South Africa: Mandela's Children. [The concept of the Up Series -- documentaries that revisit a group of children every seven years -- is brought to post-apartheid South Africa. Here, filmmaker Angus Gibson interviews 11 young people of various races and backgrounds as they turn 21. The result is an insightful look at how they've changed and the issues they face such as crime, race relations, education and the AIDS epidemic -- which has killed three of the original 14 children. ~netflix] inspired by michael apted's UP series. which is AWESOME, btw... i'm sure you could tell by the description, but it's... really depressing and sad. i am looking forward to the next installation, though. it'd be interesting to see how they are doing at 28. although, i don't know. i feel like it'll take a whole lotta work (or a miracle) for some of these people to get out of the situations they're in. 4 stars.

Avatar: The Last Airbender: Sozin's Comet: The Final Battle. okay. that was a lot of colons in the title. i was just trying to get the full name in there. i guess i could've just taken off the first two parts of the title. anyway, moving on! so, they put the last 4 episodes of Avatar together so that it was a movie... and omg. soooo good. i love this show so much. 5 freaking stars. i'd give it more if i could. i am so sad that it was the series finale. i am really bummed because the upcoming movie in 2010 (i think it's live action?) is directed by m. night shyamamamamalan. i HATE that dude. seriously. HATE HIM. i hope he doesn't totally fuck it up. i'm not holding my breath, though.

Batman. [In Tim Burton's hands, this comic book character taps into his brooding side, and Gotham's underbelly writhes in its vices. Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) starts to make a name for himself as a masked enemy to the criminal set just when the flamboyant Joker (Jack Nicholson) takes over as tops in the mafia. Adding the art-house hues to a big-budget formula meant major success at the box office, an Oscar for Art Direction and a line of sequels. ~netflix] i figured i'd watch it since The Dark Knight is still fresh in my mind... just wanted to compare the two... see how the Jokers compared... i am pretty sure that in 1989 when it came out, this movie was just THE SHIT. i mean, just the best.thing.ever. in 2008, though, it was still good, but wasn't great. i didn't LOVE it. i think in '89, i would've. hehe. i say it's a 4 star movie.

Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks. [The Daleks are about to play a devilish trick on Doctor Who (Peter Davison) and his intrepid band of time-travelers. In the 20th century, on Earth, Davros (leader of the Daleks) is about to reenter the fold of time. And it's not going to be an easy reentry -- he plans on destroying everything in his path in the process, even his own minions! Only the good Doctor can stop Davos's sinister plan. ~netflix] the music totally gives me the chills. love it. and these were really good. sure, the effects are crappy and there is lots of cheese, but i just love it. also, in the 80's, there sure was a lot more death in the show. also, THE DOCTOR PICKED UP A GUN AND FIRED IT AT SOMEONE. that's something david tennant would never do! 4 stars.

Irina Palm. [Desperate for cash to pay for an operation for her ailing grandson Ollie (Corey Burke), 50-year-old Maggie (portrayed by rock legend Marianne Faithfull) finally resorts to prostitution in London's Soho District. Renamed Irina Palm by her new boss, Miki (Miki Manojlovic), she develops a sexual technique that puts her services in high demand in this quirky comedy-drama from Germany. ~netflix] comedy-drama? really? sure, there are some ridiculous aspects, but i wouldn't put "comedy" in the description. it was tolerable. barely. i wouldn't recommend it to anyone. but i did watch and finish it. so 2 stars instead of 1.

The Rutles: All You Need is Cash. [Rock legends George Harrison, Mick Jagger and Paul Simon all make appearances in this satirical "mockumentary" about a rock group suspiciously similar to the Beatles from Monty Python veteran Eric Idle. The spoof chronicles the fictitious band's rise to fame and the making of their hit songs (including "Please Please, Let Me Hold Your Hand" and "I Am the Waitress") and movies (Yellow Submarine Sandwich and A Hard Day's Rut). ~netflix] a crappy mockumentary. 1 star. totally thought it was a waste of my time. actually, i only watched part of it before i got completely bored and turned it off. i'm not even a fan of The Beatles (wha??? i know. heresy. whatever. i like a few songs, but i wouldn't categorize myself as a fan by any means.) ... maybe if i was a fan of The Beatles, i would've enjoyed it more. but i didn't enjoy it. at all. i pretty much hated it.

.:What I'm Listening To:.

Girl Talk: Feed the Animals. and Girl Talk: Unstoppable. i love Girl Talk. best mashups and just so much fun. but i gotta be honest. i'm surprised he hasn't been sued yet for all his remix work. i mean, someone should've sued the pants off of him by now. okay, below is my rant on the DJ duo known as Justice. and below i go on about how i get that they have an eclectic selection of music, blah, blah, blah. so does Girl Talk. but you know, Girl Talk MAKES IT WORK. it sounds awesome and it's seamless and it doesn't seem to try so damn hard. i feel like Justice is just trying to show you how awesome they are, while Greg Gillis just DOES it.

Justice: Essential Mix. this isn't a CD or anything. it's just a mix on bbc radio. i have heard so much about Justice and i never got a chance to actually listen to them. and i have to say that i was wholly unimpressed. i don't get the hype surrounding the duo. they're just not THAT great. i mean, they're just all right. and i was really annoyed by their song selection. i mean, OKAY, I GET IT. YOU HAVE AN ECLECTIC COLLECTION OF MUSIC. but it doesn't mean you have to show off the range of music you've got on the Essential Mix. i don't know what their live shows are like (or even their CD releases) but they seriously messed up the Essential Mix. i've been listening to the Essential Mix for years and it's usually pretty solid with great guest DJs who put out a banging mix. justice pretty much sucks. okay, that's not completely fair to say. i do like a few of their remixes. but their Essential Mix pretty much sucked. also, are they a christian duo? i can't tell. i mean, they always have that enormo-light-up cross at their shows. and i thought their album's name was just the cross symbol. and one of their EPs was called "Waters of Nazareth." i can't figure out if they're trying to be "ironic" or what. (and yes. i put the word ironic in quotes because i'm not using it properly, but you know what i mean!) and now i just feel gross for having spent this much energy and time on this stupid DJ duo. i HATE it when someone/something gets so overhyped that i get let down. boo! [picture stolen from flickr]