49 posts tagged “music”

.: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:.

4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days. [In the last days of communism in Romania, Gabita (Laura Vasiliu), a young college student, wants to end her unplanned pregnancy. With the help of her best friend, fellow student Otilia (Anamaria Marinca), she seeks an abortion, illegal under the oppressive Ceaucescu regime. Director Cristian Mungiu's searing portrait of life under dictatorship received a slew of film festival awards as well as a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film from the Golden Globes. ~netflix] it was interesting. the character of the girl getting the abortion was annoying as all hell, though. i wanted to beat her stupid, stupid face in. she was just stupid and ridiculous. someone like that deserves a beat down. the main character, though (oddly enough, the main character is her best friend, NOT the girl getting the abortion) was really good. she was a really good actress and i enjoyed watching her performance. 3 stars.

AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem. [Prepare for more mayhem as warring aliens and predators return for Round 2 of their no-holds-barred slugfest. This time, the intergalactic creatures do battle in a small American town, throwing local residents into harm's way. To save the planet, the humans must oust both types of unwelcome guests. This sci-fi sequel features tons of spectacular action sequences full of nifty new gadgets and gooey monster gore. ~netflix] how did they find so many terrible actors? it was unreal! and the whole thing was kind of dumb. i mean, you'd think that they'd at least have awesome fight scenes, but you could hardly see anything at all cuz it was so dark. so... yeah. 2 stars. i thought my eyes were gonna roll right outta my head cuz i was rolling them so hard. hehe.

Be Kind Rewind. [When Jerry (Jack Black) accidentally magnetizes his brain, he inadvertently erases all the videos in the rental store his buddy Mike (Mos Def) runs. To please the store's loyal customers, Jerry and Mike set out to produce their own low-rent remakes of the erased films. Danny Glover, Mia Farrow and Paul Dinello also star in this imaginative comedy written and directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). ~netflix] i really liked the beginning, and i just liked the end... so averaged out, i'm giving this one 4 stars. i just kind of felt like it was two movies. the first half and the second half didn't seem to mesh really well.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. [When idealistic junior senator Jefferson Smith (James Stewart) arrives in Washington, he's full of plans and dazzled by his surroundings -- qualities he retains even in the face of widespread corruption on the part of his colleagues. Jean Arthur puts in a sharp performance as Smith's cynical secretary, and former cowboy star Harry Carey makes a fine vice president in this Academy Award-winning classic from director Frank Capra. ~netflix] such a wonderful film. sure some of it is dated and they make sexist comments here and there (it WAS made in 1939, after all), but as a whole, it's a great movie. and yes, i cried a little bit. 5 stars.

.:What Mia's Watching:.

The Book of Pooh: Fun with Friends. another book of pooh dvd, using the japanese buraku style. it's cute and fun. and mia loves it. that's good enough for me! hehe.

.:What I'm Listening To:.

Black Sun Empire: Endangered Species. really, really awesome. i really liked it. of course, i'm a big d'n'b fan... and i am a big fan of BSE.

Krafty Kuts: Back to Mine. love this album. on the album it says, "a personal collection for after hours grooving." after hours grooving, indeed! it will be perfect for the next time steve and i go out late... (edc!!!)

N*E*R*D: Seeing Sounds. nothing really impressed me. maybe i'm just not a big enough fan to really like the album? i don't know... it was just all right to me...

also on my drive up and down, i listened to a ton of DJ sets. one of Sander Kleinenberg in Dubai and the rest from the opening party in Ibiza. Deep Dish, Fatboy Slim, Pete Tong, Sasha, Steve Lawler... yeah. i SO need to go to Ibiza one year. until then, i'll just have to settle for going to massives here in socal.

.:What I'm Watching:.

Control. [In a blistering breakthrough performance, Sam Riley stars as Ian Curtis, the troubled Joy Division singer whose personal, professional and romantic battles ended in suicide at age 23. Rock photographer Anton Corbijn's directorial debut chronicles Curtis's life in stylish black-and-white, faithfully re-creating the mood of the British post-punk scene circa 1980. Samantha Morton co-stars as Curtis's wife, Debbie. ~netflix] i really liked it. i mean, a lot. i thought it was really well-done. it looked amazing, the acting was superb. before i watched it, i thought samantha morton was an odd choice for curtis's wife, since she was supposed to be a teenager and morton does not really look like a teen, but she was amazing. and thoroughly convincing as a teen and a young woman in her 20s. there are times when Sam Riley sounds EXACTLY like ian curtis and i was like, "hey, is he actually singing? or is that ian curtis?" and other times, he sounded nothing like ian curtis. he did a fine job, though. ian curtis had a very distinctive voice and to be able to sound like him even some of the time is amazing. this movie should definitely be watched in conjunction with the Joy Division documentary. 5 stars. (of course, i love joy division, so it gets 5 stars. if i didn't give a crap, i'd probably only give it 3 or 4.)

Invisible Target. [When the Ronin Gang robs an armored car, three cops -- Chan (Nicholas Tse), Fong (Shawn Yue) and Wai (Jaycee Chan) -- go on the warpath. Each has a personal interest in bringing down Ronin leader Tien (Jacky Wu): he killed Chan's fiancée, humiliated Fong and kidnapped Wai's brother. Outnumbered but determined, the trio launches a deadly war from which only one faction will emerge alive. ~netflix] ridiculously painful looking stunts. fun. yet confusing. as all good hong kong movies should be. my boyfriend, nicholas tse is in it. also, he had his shirt off. huzzah! also, jackie chan's son is in it. but no huzzah for him having his shirt off. hehe. 4 stars.

Joy Division. [Director Grant Gee provides a cultural portrait of Manchester, England, during the 1970s as he examines the rise and fall of the punk band Joy Division. The film charts the history of the group, its members and musical inspiration. The anger and despair felt by much of England's youth found its way into the lyrics and violent instrumentation of Joy Division's songs, an artistic expression that was more than just rebellion. ~netflix] i loved it. i would watch this first and then the movie Control. when you watch footage of the real ian curtis, you can totally see how he seems to enter a trance-like state when he's on stage. in the movie Control, Sam Riley, who plays a very good Ian Curtis seems to just spaz out on stage. but Ian Curtis... there was definitely something more to him. Sam Riley did the best he could, but in this documentary, you see how Ian Curtis could be so revered. he was truly mesmerizing. this DVD releases june 17. 5 stars.

Jumper. [The product of a broken home, Davey Rice (Hayden Christensen) is looking for a way to escape from his abusive father -- and finds it when he discovers he can teleport himself at will. But Davey's newfound powers soon become a double-edged sword that exacts a terrible price … and attracts unwanted attention from the National Security Agency. Director Doug Liman's sci-fi thriller also stars Samuel L. Jackson, Diane Lane and Tom Hulce. ~netflix] okay. this movie had SO MUCH POTENTIAL and they messed it up. i mean, the thought of being able to jump anywhere in the world sounds so awesome, right? but... this movie just annoyed me. they just made it stupid and silly and it could've been an awesome movie. OH! and in case you were wondering, hayden christensen still can't act. 2 stars.

The Machine Girl. [While seeking revenge for her little brother's murder, Japanese schoolgirl Ami (Minase Yashiro) loses an arm to yakuza villains. Her plight prompts a pair of friendly mechanics to furnish our heroine with a butt-kicking machine-gun prosthesis. As the determined Ami sacrifices more limbs, she receives stronger and deadlier upgrades in this outrageous gore-filled slasher from director Noboru Iguchi. ~netflix] uhm. like, whoa. super gory. maybe it was just super gory for me cuz i hardly ever watch gory flicks. anyway, it's mostly just crazy good fun. but i couldn't watch all the gore. i had to look away at times. sometimes it was just over the top. what? i'm a wuss. i don't know what genre this is, but it's that crazy-bloody-campy-japanese-style-movie genre. heh. you know the kind i'm talking about, right? anyway, 4 stars.

Mama's Boy. [A pretentious goldbricker (Jon Heder, of Napoleon Dynamite fame) who lives with his doting mother floats through life pretending that his existence has meaning in this rib-tickling comedy from director Tim Hamilton. But when Mom falls in love and wants to tie the knot with a charming motivational speaker, her pseudo-brainiac son realizes that he may be losing his hold on the comfortable life he's fashioned for himself. ~netflix] nothing spectacular. kinda like Mr. Woodcock. but with different actors. if you've watched that movie, you probably don't need to watch this one... and vice versa. 3 stars.

The Other Boleyn Girl. [Director Justin Chadwick's opulent historical drama stars Natalie Portman as Anne Boleyn and Scarlett Johansson as her sister, Mary -- beautiful, ambitious sisters vying for the heart of powerful but intemperate King Henry VIII (Eric Bana). Though both women are the monarch's mistresses, only one can become his queen consort -- but at what cost? The supporting cast includes Kristin Scott Thomas and Jim Sturgess. ~netflix] okay. seriously? eric bana must've been high-fiving himself when he got this part. natalie portman AND ScarJo as leads. hehe. it was all right. i didn't particularly like it, but i didn't really dislike it. the timing of it was really confusing, though. i couldn't get a sense that years had gone by. it felt like everything was just days apart. 2 stars. i might've given it 2.5 stars if i could give half stars on netflix. WHY WON'T THEY LET ME GIVE HALF STARS ON NETFLIX?! GAH!

Semi-Pro. [Will Ferrell stars as Jackie Moon, owner and coach of the Flint Michigan Tropics -- the team with the worst record in the renegade American Basketball Association. With the franchise on the brink of collapse, can Jackie's squad rebound to salvation in the National Basketball Association? Director Kent Alterman's entertaining comedy (set in 1976) also stars Woody Harrelson, Maura Tierney, André Benjamin and Andy Richter. ~netflix] it was all right. there were some really funny moments and some really retarded ones. but, i guess that's to be expected. 3 stars.

Typhoon. [Still seething over the killing of his family as they tried to defect from North to South Korea when he was a child, Sin (Dong-Kun Jang) schemes to nuke all of Korea. Now, naval Lt. Gang Se-jong (Jung-Jae Lee) must track Sin down before he carries out his nefarious plan. But while he can't run the risk of having personal feelings interfere with his mission, as Gang learns more about the man he seeks, he begins to feel sympathy for his plight. ~netflix] i gave it 2 stars. see? i'm not the only who disliked it.

.:What I'm Listening To:.

Nine Inch Nails: The Slip. i guess i'm just too much of a Pretty Hate Machine fan. that's my favorite NIN album and it always will be. The Slip was good. but i didn't love it the way i love PHM. 4 stars.

.:What I'm Watching:.

The Air I Breathe. [Kevin Bacon, Forest Whitaker, Brendan Fraser and Sarah Michelle Gellar star in this Jieho Lee-directed drama that mines four basic human emotions -- love, pleasure, sadness and joy -- for inspiration. A banker discovers true happiness; a mobster finds hope; a celebrity sees life lose its luster; and a doctor wrestles with matters of the heart that can't be addressed within the confines of an operating room. Julie Delpy and Andy Garcia co-star. ~netflix] okay. so... it wasn't really a GOOD movie, per se, but i liked it better than i thought i would. i think i'm going to have just employ the emile hirsch rule. any movie he's in, i will probably not be that fond of, so i should just go ahead and avoid it. it was all right, though. mostly cuz i'm a sucker for those interwoven story plots. i wouldn't really recommend it. also, brendan fraser as a badass doesn't really work. i like him as the big, doofy guy. it's kinda laughable to see him being a badass. good thing the director's parents made him get his MBA at harvard as a back up plan. he may need to fall back on that. 2.5 stars.

Animal Crossing: The Movie. [This is the story of a young self-reliant girl called Ai, who one day, moves into the Animal Village. While working at Tom Nook's shop "Nook's Cranny" she begins living her life away from her family. To begin with, she doesn't know left from right, but under the guidance of Mayor Tortimer, the angry but correct Mr. Resetti, and the wandering musician K.K. Slider among others, she is eventually accepted as a member of the village. One night as she walked along the beach, she finds a message in the bottle. It sets her off on a quest of planting pine trees around the village to fulfill a miracle on the eve of the Winter Festival. ~imdb] yes. they made a full-length animated movie about the video game. so cute! i loved it. 5 stars!

Burn Notice. [While on a mission in Nigeria, secret agent Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) inexplicably gets his walking papers. After making his way home to Miami, the former operative turns his talents to private detective work of sorts, all the while trying to get to the bottom of his mysterious fall from grace. Sharon Gless plays Westen's carping mother in this breezy espionage series also starring Gabrielle Anwar and Bruce Campbell. ~netflix] 5 stars! it's really fun. and the lead guy's growing on me. i'm kinda crushing on him right now. also, he kinda looks a little like Tiesto. but a little cuter. bruce campbell is AWESOME. gabrielle anwar (from The Tudors) is the weak link in the casting, but she's not bad. i don't completely hate her, anyway.

Lipstick Jungle. [Three high-powered friends strive for success in this dramedy based on the best-selling novel by Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell. But how will their ambitions affect their personal lives? Nico O'Neilly (Kim Raver) is an editor of a top fashion magazine, gunning for her boss's job; Wendy Healy (Brooke Shields) tries to balance the demands of her film career and her family; and designer Victory Ford (Lindsay Price) longs to find Mr. Right. ~netflix] i don't know about this series. it kinda pisses me off. maybe because it hits too close to home... like, how it seems that women can't have it all. they can't have successful careers and be a great mom. some aspect of her life's going to suffer. and they make these supposedly strong women all annoying and needy... i don't know. i only watched 2 episodes. it was all i could stomach. also, this show has THE WORST makeup and lighting people. EVERYONE looks unattractive and haggard. brooke shields is the only one who can act. the other two leads are so annoying. kim raver (nico reilly) and lindsay price (victory ford) SERIOUSLY need to stop acting. jeezus, but they're annoying. okay, i don't know about lindsay price, but kim raver annoyed me in The Nine as well, so i think it's safe to say that she's a crappy actress and should stop. immediately. and lindsay price needs to STOP DOING THAT WEIRD LIP PURSING THING THAT MAKES HER FACE ALL WEIRD AND STUFF. it just looks like a weird fake smile or a weird REAL smile that can't be completed due to do many collagen injections and/or botox. 1.5 stars. it pretty much sucks.

Rambo. [When governments fail to act on behalf of captive missionaries, ex-Green Beret John James Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) sets aside his peaceful existence along the Salween River in a war-torn region of Thailand to take action. Although he's still haunted by violent memories of his time as a U.S. soldier in Vietnam, Rambo is unable to turn his back on the aid workers who so desperately need his help. ~netflix] julie benz annoys the shit outta me. i don't know. i don't even really like her in Dexter. she was pretty unnecessary in this movie. they totally could've made it without her. so, while watching the movie, i said all sarcastically, "oh, so it's gonna be rambo vs. 150 soldiers, huh?" and without missing a beat, steve answers back, "those are bad odds for those soldiers!" seriously, steve makes me laugh. a lot. anyway, okay. i understand that this is a rambo flick. it's not supposed to be CINEMA. but it was pretty dumb. maybe because i never watched any of the other rambos. am i missing out? anyway, i give this one 2 stars.

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep. [Angus MacMorrow (Alex Etel) watches in awe as the mysterious egg he found on the shores of a nearby loch begins to hatch into something incredible. But how long can he keep his ever-growing secret from his mother (Emily Watson) -- and an increasingly concerned Scottish government? David Morrissey co-stars in this family-friendly fantasy based on the popular children's novel by Dick King-Smith. ~netflix] first of all, the boy lead, alex etel, is one of my fave kid actors. i just adored him in Millions. (if you get a chance, watch that movie. it's great.) this movie was really good. i enjoyed it. sure there are some weird and inconsistent things, but the special effects are really good and as most family films that aren't american-made, they didn't dumb down the child characters nor write the script for the lowest common denominator. it's a thoroughly enjoyable film. i wish i could give it 4.5 stars. it reminded me a little of Mee-Shee: The Water Giant... probably because that's also about a big ass water creature, and while i liked mee-shee, this one was better in just about every way.

.:What Mia's Watching:.

Kipper: Playtime. [Kipper the Dog and his friends Tiger, Jake, Pig and Arnold play host to a number of adventures in this collection from the popular British animated series. Seven episodes covering story lines such as baby-sitting, playtime and practical jokes are featured. Specific episodes include "Looking After Arnold," "Tiger's Joke Box," "Pig's Sweater," "Clay Time," "The Magic Carpet" and "Kipper the Hero." ~netflix] this was a really fun disc. and mia especially liked the last episode, "Kipper the Hero." not only is he a hero, but he saves a cute little kitten. (mia likes to be SuperMia and she looooves cats.) 4 stars.

Won