3 posts tagged “batman”

.: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]

.:What I'm Watching:.

Casablanca. [Of all the "gin joints" in Morocco, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), with husband Victor (Paul Henreid) in tow, had to walk into the one owned by Rick (Humphrey Bogart), a former beau she abandoned in Paris. War looms over them all, and in a much-discussed ending, Rick and Ilsa make heroic but heartbreaking choices. As time goes by, director Michael Curtiz's 1942 classic war noir only gets better. Peter Lorre and Claude Rains also star. ~netflix] yet another classic i've never watched before. and it was soooo good. 5 stars. i love me some classic movies.

The Cleaner. [In this A&E series inspired by actual events, Benjamin Bratt stars as "extreme interventionist" William Banks, a former drug addict who talks to God and now spends his time helping other users turn their lives around. His team of so-called "cleaners" includes a woman he once slept with (Grace Park), a serial complainer (Esteban Powell) and a car salesman (Kevin Michael Richardson) who owes William big for saving his brother's life. ~netflix] it's all right. not great, that's for sure. i like grace park as a maneater, not as a frakkin' cylon. hehe. i never thought i'd say this, but i might actually keep watching the show just to see more of her. i was never a huge grace park fan in Battlestar Galactica, but i really like her in this show. i don't know about the rest of the cast and the writing and stuff, though. i mean, i get that the show's a drama and everything, but does it seriously need to be THAT DRAMATIC? jeez. 3 stars.

Da Ali G Show, Season 1. [Hilarious British comedian and impersonator Sacha Baron Cohen crisscrosses the United States alternating among the three offbeat personalities he plays. Cohen becomes Ali G, the "hip hop journalist" who's really just a white wanna-be rapper; Borat, the gullible newsman from Kazakhstan; and Bruno, the homosexual Austrian fashion plate. Laugh while Ali G, Borat and Bruno discover America and interact with the locals. ~netflix] so funny. i honestly have NO idea how he doesn't just start busting up laughing at these people he's interviewing. 4 stars.

The Dark Knight. [Batman (Christian Bale) teams with Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) to continue dismantling Gotham City's criminal organizations in this sequel to Batman Begins. But a psychotic new villain known as the Joker (Heath Ledger) threatens to undo all their good work. The star-studded cast includes Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman, Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Caine and Eric Roberts. ~netflix] 5 stars. totally awesome. loved every minute of it. saw it at the imax and it was awesome. when we own this on DVD (you know we will buy it!) i wanna have another movie night. :D

Doomsday. [When a deadly viral epidemic breaks out in present-day Britain, killing hundreds of thousands of people, the government quarantines the infected behind a walled city -- only to be confronted with a resurgence of the disease 30 years in the future. In the vein of Mad Max and 28 Days Later, this morality tale veiled as a sci-fi hypothetical features enough action, combat and suspense to keep audiences wondering, "What if?" ~netflix] this movie has everything! viral outbreaks, blood and gore, mohawks, future stuff, medieval stuff, action, chase scenes, fighting, fires, and the poor man's kate beckinsale. heh. what? she is. this is from the same director who brought you The Descent. (which is an awesome movie, btw... and i don't like horror. although it's not typical horror. whatever. anyway, you should rent it.) anyway, back to Doomsday... like LE said, "i'm not sure if this is a good-bad movie or a bad-bad movie." regardless, i liked it. 3.5 stars.

Umrao Jaan. [Ravishing Indian beauty Aishwarya Rai stars in director J.P. Dutta's remake about a poor girl who is sold into a brothel, where she's transformed into the courtesan Umrao Jaan and falls in love with Nawab Sultan (Abhishek Bachchan). Life as a courtesan is filled with hard knocks as Umrao tries everything in her power to control her own destiny. Shabana Azmi, Sunil Shetty, Divya Dutta, Himani Shivpuri and Kulbhushan Kharbanda also star. ~netflix] very sad. end was confusing. and even though it was 3 hours long, i felt like it was totally unresolved. I NEED CLOSURE!!!! i believe it's a remake of another movie by the same name. but the original doesn't have aishwarya in it. the costumes were breathtaking. 4 stars.

.:What Mia's Watching:.

Little Einsteins: The Flight of the Instrument Fairies. [This colorful collection from the popular Playhouse Disney series includes four fairy-tale adventures, including the never-before-seen episode "Flight of the Instrument Fairies," featuring a band of musical sprites who paint the Artic sky. Join Rocket -- who can gleefully transform from a spaceship to a submarine -- as he guides Quincy, Annie, June and Leo on adventures with a team of lost puppets in Prague and at a black-tie ball in Vienna. ~netflix] while i like that this show introduces kids to various composers and artists, i dislike how annoying this show can get. also, there's a little asian girl character and i noticed that the girl who voices her is asian as well. is that a rule? like, if you have  an asian character, it has to be voiced by an asian? because it seems ridiculous. then again, i'm sure asian peeps would be all up in arms that the asian character isn't voiced by an asian if it weren't... ugh. people are so dumb and ridiculous. oh. right. back to the DVD. your kid will probably be totally mesmerized... but you won't be. hehe. i think mia would give this a 3 or 4 star rating. i am giving it 2.

.:What I'm Listening To:.

Beck: Modern Guilt. produced with Danger Mouse. pretty good. i enjoyed it. i am looking forward to a repeat spin. i think i liked it as much as I liked The Information. maybe even more! 4 stars.

DJ Craze: Fabriclive 38. good fun. seriously. i was not expecting much at all, but it was good times. 3.5 stars.

Mark Farina: Fabric 40. this album was good, but i prefer to see mark farina live. 3 stars.

Tricky: Knowle West Boy. i'm really digging this album. a lot. this is my second spin and i think it's going to be in heavy rotation. drops september 9... or you can get the import now. 4 stars.

.:What I'm Reading:.

Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan. (click here to read the plot summary on wikipedia) a very interesting, very enjoyable read. i'm not done yet (i'm reading two books at once. i should just commit to one and FINISH it. sheesh.), but hopefully i'll finish this next week... :)

.:What I'm Watching:.

Batman: Gotham Knight. [Batman takes on Deadshot, Killer Croc and other deadly foes in six anime-inspired short films. Together, the interlocking tales bridge 2005's Batman Begins and its 2008 sequel, the Dark Knight, and illuminate our anti-hero's troubled psyche. The powerhouse writing team includes Oscar nominee Josh Olson, Batman Begins writer David S. Goyer, comic book writers Greg Rucka and Brian Azzarello, and "Batman Beyond" creator Alan Burnett. ~netflix] it was awesome. loved it. 5 stars. totally amped me up for The Dark Knight... which i won't see opening weekend because i hate crowds, but i definitely want to watch in the theater...

Frisky Dingo, Season 1. [In this animated series from "Sealab 2021" creators Matt Thompson and Adam Reed, a bored villain and a superhero who refuses to retire square off over the former's plan to destroy the world. As Killface deals with the unpleasant bureaucratic details of eliminating the planet, Awesome X -- the superhero alter ego of billionaire action figure maker Xander Crews -- contemplates coming out of retirement in this clever superhero spoof. ~netflix] i want to be Killface when i grow up. it is seriously hilarious. the writing is AWESOME. i love it. thanks to charlie 5-0 for recommending it! 5 stars!

Samurai Jack. [An evil shape-shifter named Aku brings destruction upon the land. As the citizens' last hope, a young samurai warrior is trained to defeat Aku. But when he returns as an adult to confront Aku, the warrior is flung into the future through a time portal. The locals help "Jack" in his quest to return to the past and fight Aku. ~netflix] so... i wish someone told me that the movie prequel Samurai Jack was just the first few episodes of the TV series. cuz i totally already watched it. whatever. maybe i didn't read the netflix reviews closely enough. i just wish i didn't waste my time getting the movie when i'd already watched the first season. it's still good, but i'll only give it 4 stars. because you really should just get the whole first season instead of this disc.

The Sarah Jane Adventures. [Investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith and her 13-year-old neighbor Maria form an alliance to combat evil alien forces. ~imdb] another spin-off of Doctor Who. it's really cute. totally geared for a younger audience, but it doesn't mean that it's not good. it really is quite enjoyable and fun. 4 stars. also, sarah jane sure is aging well! she is 60, but definitely looks like she's in her 40s.

The Tracey Fragments. [On a quest to locate her missing brother -- who believes he's a dog after she hypnotized him -- Tracey Berkowitz (Ellen Page) traverses a city full of hazards. Meanwhile, her neglectful parents (Ari Cohen and Erin McMurtry) make plans to send her to an equally dysfunctional therapist. Unhappy and insecure, Tracey consoles herself with rock 'n' roll fantasies about the new boy at school, Billy Zero (Slim Twig), in this quirky indie drama. ~netflix] UGH. they were just trying SO HARD to make it all artsy. and it was just annoying. i could only watch about 10 minutes of it before i started feeling nauseated. the edits and the camera work were literally making me sick. dude, i don't know what ellen page is going to do when she's like, 30 and can't get work because she won't look 15 anymore. you know, because she is totally typecast as the "precocious teenager." 2 stars. no. wait. 1 star.

The Virgin Suicides. [Responding to the lax moral milieu of the mid-1970s, Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon (James Woods and Kathleen Turner, respectively) keep their five alluring, adolescent daughters on a short leash. When the youngest, 13-year-old Cecelia (Hannah Hall), unaccountably commits hara-kiri and wayward elder sister Lux (Kirsten Dunst) violates curfew, Mom puts all the girls under virtual house arrest. But her overreaction has unintended -- and dire -- consequences. ~netflix] first of all, i love the soundtrack. and the movie itself was really good. and sad. also, the thought of mia hitting puberty scares the crap out of me. heh. not that i think she will attempt to commit suicide or anything... but puberty is still a scary, scary thing. 4 stars.

.:What I'm Listening To:.

PJ Harvey: White Chalk. okay. absolutely none of this album sounds like PJ Harvey. i had to keep checking the text to make sure that it indeed WAS PJ Harvey. i have mixed feelings about this album. while i didn't DISLIKE it, i didn't really LIKE it. maybe i need to give it another spin, but i don't know... 3 stars... i guess.