8 posts tagged “doctor who”

.: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.

.:What I'm Watching:.

In Bruges. [After accidentally killing an innocent boy in London, Irish hit men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) are sent by their boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), to lay low in Bruges. But, uncomfortable in this foreign city, the two professional killers soon get into trouble. Complicating matters further, when the guilt-ridden Ray falls for a girl working on a film shoot, he finds himself confronting the girl's jealous ex-boyfriend. ~netflix] i actually really liked it. also, i'm finding myself NOT hating colin farrell. 4 stars.

Mad Men, Season 1. [It's 1960, and ad executive Don Draper (Jon Hamm) rules the roost at New York's Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency in this sharply written drama. Living a glamorous existence of never-ending cocktail hours, worry-free smoking and ego-stroking power, ladies' man Draper makes numerous conquests both at work and in his personal life. But the world is beginning to change, and Draper will have to use all his smarts to stay one step ahead of the game. ~netflix] this show makes me want to chain smoke. seriously. boy, people smoked a lot in 1960. hehe. it's interesting to watch how they probably treated women back then... but then it pisses me off because, really, not much has changed. watching it just reminded me how it was at work sometimes and it just made me angry. 3 stars.

North by Northwest. [What if everyone around you was suddenly convinced you were a spy? This classic from master director Alfred Hitchcock stars Cary Grant as an advertising executive who looks a little too much like someone else and is forced to go on the lam (helped along by Eva Marie Saint). Hitchcock's sure-handed comic drama pits Grant against a crop duster and lands him in a fight for his life on Mount Rushmore. That's a cliffhanger if ever there was one! ~netflix] i love old movies. they're just so darn cute. and this one is a classic for a reason. 5 stars.

Samurai Jack, Season 1. [A Japanese samurai -- Jack, by name -- is transplanted into a future reality that's controlled by the evil despot Aku. The wayward warrior with a moral code must find a way to survive until he's able to return to his ancient world and rid himself once and for all of Aku. This collection contains all 13 animated episodes from the show's first season, which aired on cable's Cartoon Network. ~netflix] i love the animation style and the story line is super-engaging. not a whole lot of dialogue. definitely more action than anything else. and samurai jack is exactly how i like my men. men who don't talk much but are great with the action. tee hee. 5 stars.

The Spiderwick Chronicles. [When city-raised twins Jared and Simon (both played by Freddie Highmore) move to an old country mansion with their mother (Mary-Louise Parker) and sister (Sarah Bolger), it's quite an adjustment -- especially when they uncover a magical and sometimes dangerous fantasy world. Based on the best-selling children's books, this family adventure populated with all manner of fanciful creatures co-stars Joan Plowright, David Strathairn and Nick Nolte. ~netflix] kinda scary for a kids movie! hell, i was kinda scared! heh. it was pretty good, though. i liked it. 4 out of 5 stars.

Super High Me. [Determined to find out the true effects of marijuana on the human body, stand-up comedian and former Stoner of the Year Doug Benson documents his experience avoiding pot for 30 days and then consuming massive amounts of the drug for 30 days. More than just an amusing story of one man's quest to get superhigh, this documentary also examines the hotly contested debate over medical marijuana use. ~netflix] i was kind of disappointed in this documentary. and i think that for his "testing" they make it seem like oh, he did so much better on his tests when he was high... but i think this guy is kinduva failure and he has so much anxiety that he NEEDS the weed to help him cope. they don't really go into that. kids are gonna watch this movie thinking that it's going to have the same results for everyone and that weed isn't necessarily dangerous. i'm not saying that it IS dangerous. but it just depends on the person. and even though there's a disclaimer in the beginning, i don't know that people will really pay attention to it. also, it wasn't that entertaining either. boo. 3 stars.

Vantage Point. [Moments after he arrives in Spain for a landmark antiterrorism summit, U.S. President Ashton is shot. The 15 minutes leading up to the shooting are rehashed -- Rashomon-style -- from the perspective of various onlookers: two Secret Service agents (Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox), a TV reporter (Sigourney Weaver) and a tourist (Forest Whitaker). This nail-biting political thriller marks the feature directorial debut of Pete Travis. ~netflix] as long as you don't think about it too much, it's all right. and chases always make movies more exciting, so it does have THAT going for it. 2.5 star movie. nothing great, though. i felt like the director was just trying too hard and kind of ... failing. the best part of the whole movie is when matthew fox is speaking in spanish and it's OBVIOUS that they dubbed it over with some other dude's voice. i couldn't stop laughing because it sounded SO ridiculous! that other dude's voice was like, 2 octaves lower than matthew fox's voice. hehe. you'd think they could find SOMEONE in any of the spanish speaking countries that sounded somewhat like matthew fox. man. it was funny. hehe. 3 stars.

The Wild Blue Yonder. [Werner Herzog crafts a thought-provoking exploration of life beyond Earth by blending authentic NASA images with documentary footage shot beneath the Antarctic Ocean by avid diver and experimental guitarist Henry Kaiser. After human beings suck everything valuable from planet Earth -- including all life-sustaining matter -- aliens move in to try to settle a veritable wasteland. Oscar nominee Brad Dourif (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) stars. ~netflix] pretty boring. i fell asleep. i want my sci-fi movies to be SCI-FI. not the idea of sci-fi with NASA footage. probably only pretentious wannabe "artsy" people will like this movie. hehe. 2 stars.

Without a Paddle. [Three friends (Seth Green, Matthew Lillard and Dax Shepard) leave their home in Philadelphia for a camping trip after their friend Billy's death. Their destination has special meaning, as Billy was fixated on going there to search for a lost treasure. Hoping to find some of the $194,200 of famed airline hijacker D.B. Cooper's money -- rumored to be located somewhere in the wilderness -- the men embark on the adventure of their lives. ~netflix] i thought it was gonna suck, but it was all right. i didn't hate it. 3 stars.

.:What Mia's Watching:.

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland. ["Sesame Street" veteran Elmo gets his own movie when he dives into Oscar the Grouch's trashcan to retrieve his blanket and wakes up in Grouchland. The Muppets mission: To rescue the blanket from the evil Huxley (Mandy Patinkin) with the help of the Queen of Trash (Vanessa Williams). There are lots of fun and songs along the way (including the all-time kids' fave "I'm a Little Teapot") plus Bert and Ernie as hosts! ~netflix] dude, if this movie was made in 1999, how is it that all of the human characters look EXACTLY the same?! sheesh. anyway, it was cute. they had it free at one of the theaters here so i figured i'd take mia to the movies. it was her first time! she had a pretty good time. :)

.:What I'm Listening To:.

The Fratellis: Here We Stand. man, what a disappointment! i LOVED their first album. but their second one, not so much. it was kinda boring and lame.

.:What I'm Reading:.

Quick Reads! they're the best invention ever! i read 1.5 books in less than 45 minutes. the ones i got were:
Doctor Who: Made of Steel
Doctor Who: Revenge of the Judoon
totally fun and totally short... according to amazon UK, they're 112 pages long. i enjoyed them. :)

.:What I'm Watching:.

Battlestar Galactica, Season 4. [New characters and old secrets are revealed in the fourth season of this critically acclaimed Sci Fi Channel breakout hit, an update of the classic 1970s television series by the same name. A mentally imbalanced officer from the now-destroyed Battlestar Pegasus joins the crew of the Battlestar Galactica, and more details about Adm. Adama's (Edward James Olmos) past are brought to life via flashback. ~netflix] FINALLY season 4 has started. i am happy because it's back on the air... but sad because it's the final season... that first episode was awesome. i just hear the music and i get chills. hehe. if you haven't started watching BSG, you should.. just get it from the beginning and enjoy the ride. :)

Doctor Who, Season 4. yay! season 4 of doctor who! omg. i almost cried at the end of the first episode... if you've watched it, you totally know what part i'm talking about. hehe. i actually really liked catherine tate as his new companion. and i love love love david tennant still. :D

For the Bible Tells Me So. [In this Sundance documentary, director Daniel Karslake goes to the Bible to examine the ways in which conservative Christian groups have used -- and sometimes exploited -- holy Scripture to deny basic human rights to gays and lesbians around the world. Highlights include interviews with V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican Communion, and Chrissy Gephardt, the lesbian daughter of former U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt. ~netflix] it's amazing to see how much ignorance is in the US. i don't know a whole lot about much, so i usually try to keep quiet about stuff that requires any sort of knowledge. heh. but it's interesting to see how people talk so much about things they have absolutely no knowledge about. people are stupid.

• The Good Night. [Gwyneth Paltrow's brother Jake directs his sister and Martin Freeman ("The Office") in this romantic comedy he also wrote about a former pop star turned jingle writer who's going through a midlife crisis. A supporting cast of big names from both sides of the pond includes Penelope Cruz, Danny DeVito, Michael Gambon and Simon Pegg. ~netflix] interesting. not a great movie by any means. and it was a waste of simon pegg, but i love martin freeman (Tim from the The Office - BBC). would love to see him get more and more work.

The Life of Mammals, Vol. 2. [Naturalist David Attenborough hosts this fascinating documentary about the earth's most diverse species, from the tiny pygmy shrew to the gargantuan blue whale. Humans -- who are mammals, of course -- also come under scrutiny in this series, which may be Attenborough's finest. ~netflix] this second volume was even better than the first! david attenborough is kinda like the crocodile hunter... but not annoying. anyway, i really liked the rodent episode. what? i have a soft spot for rodents. hehe.

The Pink Panther Strikes Again. [Driven mad by Inspector Clouseau's (Peter Sellers) incompetence, Former Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) commandeers a doomsday device and threatens global destruction. His only demand? Clouseau's death. But Clouseau's dumb luck serves him so well that the 26 assassins hired to kill him can't manage to get the job done -- though Clouseau may very well do the trick himself by tripping over his own two feet! ~netflix]  crazy hijinks and shenanigans! there were times when it was just too much, but it was good fun and i still really liked it.

There Will Be Blood. [At the turn of the 20th century, Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis, in an Oscar-winning role) becomes a tycoon when he buys the oil rights to a Texas family's ranch. Meanwhile, as the simple village becomes a boomtown, a charismatic young preacher (Paul Dano) fights his community's growing greed. Kevin J. O'Connor, Ciarán Hinds and Russell Harvard co-star in writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson's Oscar-nominated adaptation of Upton Sinclair's novel Oil! ~netflix] wow. daniel day-lewis was ... awesome. even if it wasn't a good movie (which it is) it would still be worth watching just to HIM.

Torchwood, Season 2. OMG. the season finale just about killed me. gosh. what a great effin' show.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. [John C. Reilly stars as fictional pop star Dewey Cox in this parody of the increasingly predictable rags-to-riches music biopic. On his hard-knocks journey toward stardom, Dewey crosses paths with the likes of Elvis, Buddy Holly and the Beatles. Before long, Dewey is writing hits, making women swoon and doing food endorsements -- in between over-the-top moments of silliness, which producers Jake Kasdan and Judd Apatow are so adept at creating. ~netflix] better than i thought it would be. but ... kinda painfully bad at times. there were some funny parts. also, i love jenna fischer.

A Walk To Beautiful. [In Ethiopia, a country with few hospitals and even fewer roads that lead to them, five women are on a journey to rebuild their lives after suffering devastating losses in childbirth. When the women survive but their babies do not, they are summarily shunned by their families. Now, they must make their way to a hospital in Addis Ababa, where they hope to receive treatment for fistula, a condition caused by obstructed labor during childbirth. ~netflix]  it was a great documentary. i know that the synopsis sounds kinda... well, depressing and grim. but the documentary wasn't that way at all. here's steve's review.

.:What Mia's Watching:.

Hamtaro: Hamtaro and the Ham-Hams. [Move over, Pikachu, here comes Hamtaro! In this Japanese cartoon series, the titular hamster must make new friends when his 10-year-old owner, Laura, moves to another town. After settling in, the adorable Hamtaro sets off on a string of zany exploits with his new hamster pals, the Ham-Hams, while Laura is away at school. The U.S. version of the hit show originally aired on the Cartoon Network. ~netflix] sooooo cute. i love hamtaro. i mean, MIA loves hamtaro! hehe.

Percy the Park Keeper. [percy is a kind-hearted park keeper who has many animal friends.] how can you not love it? there are little animated animals. and they're all so cute! the stories are child-friendly without being juvenile. good for all ages. :)

.:What I'm Listening To:.

Gnarls Barkley: The Odd Couple. really good sophomore effort. i don't think i love it as much as the first album, but i really do like it a lot.

.:What Mia's Reading:.

We have way too many books for me to list out what Mia's reading (we read all day long every day) but I did want to point out one magazine that she is subscribed to. It's called "Wild Animal Baby." and it's by the national wildlife federation and it's just oh, so cute. the magazine pages are sturdier than typical magazine pages and the size is just perfect for toddler hands to hold.

all my lists will have to be alphabetized. i just can't put them in an order...

.:BEST MOVIES:.
300
Futurama: Bender's Big Score
Grindhouse
Knocked Up
Paprika [technically out in 2006, but i think those were just film fest dates]
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie
Superbad

.:Biggest Guilty Pleasures:.
DOA: Dead or Alive
Shoot 'Em Up

.:Biggest Disappointment:.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

.:Out in 2006, but I just had to mention them:.
Air Guitar Nation
Borat: Cultural Learnings of American for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Idiocracy
The Last King of Scotland
The Prestige

.:BEST TELEVISION:.
30 Rock
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Battlestar Galactica
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dexter
Doctor Who
LOST
The Office
South Park
The Tudors

.:BEST KIDS' TELEVISION:.
[and this is based on what dvds will give me enough time to take a shower or clean the house while my child sits saucer-eyed in front of the tv. hehe.]
The Backyardigans
Hello Kitty: Stump Village
Higglytown Heroes
The Koala Brothers
Wonder Pets!

.:Biggest Guilty Pleasures:.
Dirt
Survivor
Yamada Taro Monogatari

.:BEST MUSIC:.
Bjork: Volta
Blonde Redhead: 23
Crowded House: Time on Earth
Erasure: Light at the End of the World
Krafty Kuts: Fabriclive.34
LCD Soundsystem: Sound of Silver
M.I.A.: Kala
Nine Inch Nails: Year Zero
Radiohead: In Rainbows
White Stripes: Icky Thump

.:Honorable Mention:.
Air: Pocket Symphony
Daft Punk: Alive 2007
Duran Duran: Red Carpet Massacre
El-P: I'll Sleep When You're Dead
Stanton Warriors: The Remixes

.:BEST COMICS:.
Ex Machina [Brian K. Vaughan]
Fables [Bill Willingham]
Girls [The Luna Brothers]
Hatter M [Frank Beddor]
Jack of Fables [Bill Willingham]
Mouse Guard [David Petersen]
The Nightly News [Jonathan Hickman]
Runaways [Brian K. Vaughan]
Usagi Yojimbo [Stan Sakai]
Y: The Last Man [Brian K. Vaughan]

.:BEST VIDEO GAMES:.
[i'll be honest, i don't know what year these came out. but i had fun with them this year...]
Animal Crossing: Wild World
Brain Age 2
Cooking Mama
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
Picross and Illustlogic
Singstar 80s

and i have it on good authority that Call of Duty 4 is the game to be played, although i haven't even tried it...

.:What I'm Watching:.

Arctic Tale. [Following the epic struggle of a tenacious young walrus and polar bear, this saga of survival amid the rapidly changing Arctic wilderness comes from the creators of March of the Penguins and An Inconvenient Truth. Queen Latifah narrates the life journey of Seela the walrus and Nanu the polar bear, from birth through maturity and parenthood, where the cycle begins anew and they pass what they've learned to the next generation. ~netflix] done by the creators of march of the penguins, but not nearly as good. that's probably because the script was pretty bad. while i wasn't really a fan of the script, the footage was amazing. and my goodness, those polar bear cubs are ridiculously cute! hey, just read steve's review.

Dane Cook: Rough Around the Edges: Live from Madison Square Garden. [dane cook's live show from NYC.] seriously, how lucky is dane cook? his job is to spaz around stage and basically be himself. hehe. i didn't like it as much as the last one, but it was entertaining. and i swear that in the beginning, he recycled an old joke. but i can't remember from where. all i know is that it was really familiar.

Doctor Who, Season 3. [The BBC's hit sci-fi series returns starring David Tennant as the time-traveling Doctor, with Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones, a medical student who joins him on his journeys as they traverse the centuries to solve mysteries and right wrongs. In the show's third season, the adventurous Doctor and Martha cross paths with William Shakespeare, get trapped in the past and take on their most formidable adversaries, the Daleks. ~netflix] see what steve says about it. :D i only disagree with steve on one thing... i thought that the second season was great because of the great chemistry between the doctor and rose and that the third season was a little bit weird because of martha. i didn't like martha. she just annoyed me. i'm glad that it appears that she is gone at the end of the season. huzzah!

The Hobart Shakespeareans. [Mel Stuart's documentary follows Rafe Esquith, a passionate educator who inspires his students from Central Los Angeles to achieve the best that life has to offer. Mixing Shakespeare, Mark Twain and mathematics, and touring his young charges around Washington, D.C., and college campuses, the elementary school teacher makes learning exciting. For the finale, actors Ian McKellen and Michael York help the kids stage a production of "Hamlet." ~netflix] this netflix synopsis makes it sound like ian mckellen and michael york are all hands on helping the kids. but they're not. really, all the credit goes to their teacher. rafe esquith is an amazing educator. i wish i had him as a teacher. he's one of those teachers that really make a difference and that if you had him, you would remember him your whole life. and he probably set you on the right path. he's amazing, those kids are amazing. i was astounded at how they were performing, but not only performing... they knew what they were reading. they actually comprehended everything. man, i don't even understand all of shakespeare. i only hope for great things in their lives. it's so obvious that they are capable of so much.

Shrek the Halls. [Shrek holiday special. it's Shrek's first Christmas and he learns how to celebrate it, basically.] except for the one stupid and uncomfortable moment with the dancing roasted turkey, it was pretty cute. :)

Superbad. [40-Year-Old Virgin veterans Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen team up again as producer and co-star/co-writer (respectively) of this high school comedy starring Jonah Hill and Michael Cera as best buddies facing separation anxiety as they prepare to go off to college. Attempting to score alcohol for a party (believing that the babes will follow), the boys' evening quickly dissolves into chaos. Bill Hader ("Saturday Night Live") co-stars. ~netflix] we watched the unrated, extended version. holy shit. i was laughing so hard throughout pretty much the whole thing. judd apatow is a goddamned genius. the extras are hilarious, also. it's not often that i go through all of the special features on a dvd because usually, it kinda sucks. but these were all great. i LOVED this movie!!!!

.:What I'm Reading:.

With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child, Vol. 1. yes. there is manga about everything. manga's not just big robots and schoolgirls with enormous breasts. i almost cried several times while reading this book. considering that it's fictional, they did a fantastic job of explaining autism and showing how it might really be if one raised an autistic child. and they really caught the love and frustrations of a mother on paper. it was amazing. it was so good... 528 pages and i did it in a couple of hours. (of course there are lots of pictures. BUT STILL! i never have time to read anymore, but i really couldn't put this down.) i learned a lot about autism. i obviously still don't know very much about it, but at least i know a little now.

.:What I'm Watching:.

Battlestar Galactica: Razor. [Examining previous events in the Battlestar Galactica world, this sci-fi drama follows Lee Adama (Jaime Bamber) as he takes over as commander of Battlestar Pegasus, promotes Kendra Shaw (Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen) to second in command and fights for his ship's survival. Through flashbacks, the film also closely explores the complicated relationship between Admiral Cain (Michelle Forbes) and Cylon agent Gina (Tricia Helfer). ~netflix] oooh, was that good!!!! so, SO good. goooooood... heh. no, really. it was really good. if you don't watch BSG, you really should. it's gotta be one of the BEST sci-fi shows of all time.

Doctor Who, Season 2. [David Tennant steps into the role of the mysterious Doctor Who in the second season of this popular sci-fi adventure series. The Doctor and Rose bounce back in time to battle a menacing force that threatens 18th-century Versailles, and defend Queen Victoria from a terrible creature in the Scottish Highlands. Billie Piper (Much Ado About Nothing) returns as the Doctor's charming counterpart Rose Tyler. ~netflix] i thought season 1 was good... well, it was. but season 2 is even better! maybe it's because i like david tennant. what? he's a hottie with those glasses on. hehe. i just swoon for men in glasses. heh. i can't help it.

Duck Tales. [Donald Duck joins the Navy and leaves his nephews in the care of Uncle Scrooge McDuck in this animated adventure series. There's plenty of excitement as Huey, Dewey and Louie and their wealthy but miserly uncle travel about the world on a series of treasure hunts, crime investigations and other thrilling exploits. Also along for the ride are Webbigail Vanderquack, Gyro Gearloose, Mrs. Beakley and the nasty Beagle Boys. ~netflix] i used to LOVE this cartoon. hehe. i know i probably shouldn't even know about this show, but i have siblings who are 10 and 11 years younger than me. that's why i know it and love it. hehe. poor steve wasn't so pleased with it.

Funny Face. [Fred Astaire's inimitable dancing feet come full circle in George and Ira Gershwin's Funny Face, an airy 1957 musical gambol about high-fashion photography in Paris that costars Audrey Hepburn. Paris (and Audrey) have rarely looked better thanks to Ray June's luminous cinematography, and the classic score includes such songs as "S'Wonderful," "He Loves and She Loves" and the title tune. ~netflix] a few weeks ago i watched Funny Face. here's steve's review on the 50th anniversary edition.

Hairspray. [Set in 1962, this colorful adaptation of the Tony-winning musical (spawned by director John Waters' cult classic of the same name) follows ambitious teen Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky), who tries to integrate a racially divided Baltimore one watusi at a time. The film's star-studded cast includes John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Allison Janney, James Marsden and Amanda Bynes. ~netflix] it was all right. i didn't really know what to expect since i never watched the original movie... nor did i watch the musical based off the movie... so yeah. i just think it's kind of silly that there's a movie based off a musical that's based off a movie. at any rate, i guess it was cute. at the end when nikki blonsky and zac efron kiss, i wondered if nikki messed that scene up on purpose so she would get to kiss zac more. hehehe. also, i wondered if that was happiest moment in her life. hehe. and where exactly that ranked in zac's book of most memorable kisses. hehe.

King Corn. [In Aaron Woolf's thought-provoking documentary, friends Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis move back to America's Corn Belt to plant an acre of the nation's most-grown and most-subsidized grain in an attempt to follow their crop into the U.S. food supply. What they discover about genetically modified seeds, powerful herbicides and the realities of modern farming calls into question government subsidies, our fast-food lifestyle and the quality of our food. ~netflix] here's steve's review on it.

Journey from the Fall. [In the last bloody days before American troops' withdrawal from Vietnam on April 30, 1975, a Saigon man who had been fighting against the Communists persuades his wife, Mai, to flee the country with her mother and their son Lai. Six years later, Mai and her family are living in Southern California, but life is far from settled for the now-preteen Lai, who's been branded a troublemaker as he struggles to find his place in a new land. ~netflix] man, what a long ass movie. and most of the time it felt like it was on regular speed, not the double-time we were watching it. man. i can't even imagine watching it at regular speed. not that the movie was bad or anything. it was just... suuuuuuuper slooooooow.

Ocean's Thirteen. [Director Steven Soderbergh and star George Clooney return to Las Vegas for the further -- and purportedly final -- criminal exploits of Danny Ocean (Clooney) and company. Ellen Barkin makes her Ocean's debut as the female lead, while the rest of the gang remains largely intact, including Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Al Pacino, Bernie Mac, Carl Reiner, Andy Garcia, Casey Affleck, Elliott Gould and more. ~netflix] if you completely suspend your disbelief and turn off your brain, this movie is fun and enjoyable. oh, and ellen barkin was lookin' hot. if you want to watch a really smart and fun show about con men, though, watch Hustle. it's a bbc tv show, and it's awesome.

Paris, Je T'aime. [A collection of five-minute films about the City of Lights brings Paris to life with a unique patchwork of 20 stories. Numerous writers, directors and actors lend their distinctive vision to the project, employing a wide variety of styles and subject matter. Participants include Gérard Depardieu, Gus Van Sant, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Wes Craven, Marianne Faithfull, Steve Buscemi, Juliette Binoche, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gena Rowlands and many others. ~netflix] most of the shorts are really great. others made me think, "what the fuck is going on?" and yet others are totally and completely boring. luckily, they're short so you can just watch all of them. i thought it was really interesting and mostly well-done.

Rescue Dawn. [Renowned director Werner Herzog's inspiring film recounts the heroic saga of Dieter Dengler, a German-American fighter pilot and highly decorated Vietnam veteran whose reconnaissance plane was shot down in 1966. Captured by enemy forces and held in a Laotian torture camp near the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Dengler (portrayed by Christian Bale) defied death by organizing one of the most daring escapes in the Vietnam conflict. ~netflix] the other movie about vietnam we watched. heh. steve's review is much better and of course more thorough than the one i wrote last week.

.:What I'm Watching:.

Knocked Up. [A one-night stand results in an unexpected pregnancy for entertainment reporter Alison (Katherine Heigl) in Judd Apatow's romantic comedy. Determined to be a good mom and keep her career on track, Alison decides to try to make things work with the baby's father, slacker Ben (Seth Rogen). It's anything but smooth sailing as the odd couple gets acquainted, but Alison finds there's more to Ben than she originally thought. Paul Rudd also stars. ~netflix] it was pretty darn funny. we watched the unrated version. i think that was why we got to see the baby's head crowning. *shudder* i didn't even want to see my OWN baby's head crowning. i know it wasn't real, but it was still gross. hehe. i think judd apatow's amazing. lah-lah-love his work.

Tekkon Kinkreet. [Based on Taiyo Matsumoto's popular manga serial "Black and White," this surreal anime adventure follows two penniless orphans, Black and White, struggling to survive on the mean streets of Treasure Town. When a megacorporation threatens to tear down the town to build an amusement park, Black and White engage in the fight of their life. Directed by Michael Arias, this dazzling tale comes from the creators of Animatrix. ~netflix] really good. confusing at times, but isn't all anime confusing? hehe. we just got the manga yesterday. i know i should read it. but it's really thick and long. (that's what she said! heheh. sorry. couldn't resist that.) i just don't know if i'm going to have the time to read it. i even have LAST month's comics to read. i am behind!

Vacancy.