What I've been watching

[sarahmichigan]

It's been many weeks since I made my last "what I've been watching" post and I've got a lot saved up, so I'll keep my comments short.

TV on DVD

Buffy Season 4. I agree with Joss Weedon's assessment, which is that while the season doesn't hang together that well as a whole, it had some great episodes. I love the development with Tara and the episode with "The Gentlemen" especially.

That 70's Show Season 2. Good, but a little more uneven than season 1.

Venture Brothers Season 1. I think someone on LJ recommended this to me; if so, thank you! It's got a lot of the same people working on it as on "The Tick," which we love. We're digging this silly, silly show.

Lone Gunmen. It's been a while since I saw the X-files spin-off show. Fun stuff. I always liked these characters, but I think the network was correct in canceling it; they can't carry a series for long on their own.

Kids in the Hall Season 3. Somewhat uneven, but there are some brilliant sketches this season.

Ren & Stimpy Season 5 and part of 4. I reviewed this before, but we've recently caught more episodes, which include guests voicing by Phil Hartman and Mark Hamill! Nice.

Tripping the Rift Season 1. The first four or five episodes are just a little grin-worthy, not really laugh-out-loud, but they're OK. We'll probably keep watching.

Drawn Together Season 1. Crude, but funny.

Addams Family Season 1. These really stand up to the test of time if you ask me. I especially love the episode where the visiting Russian emissaries want to meet a "Regular American Family" and end up visiting the Addams family. Fun stuff.

 

Movies

Sweeney Todd. Just saw this on Christmas day and liked it very much. Johnny Depp has a great voice for a non-singer, and the fantasy scenes by the sea were priceless.

Scrooged. Had to watch this for Christmas- it's a tradition! I love saying things in Carol Kane's screwy voice. She's the best part of the film, if you ask me. Of course, Robert Goulet's cameo in a trailer for "A Very Merry Cajun Christmas" is pretty good as well.

Kalifornia. This got mediocre reviews, but I like it. I've seen it before, but it's been a while. Brad Pitt plays psycho well, and I think the acting is pretty good all around.

Superbad. We laughed our asses off. At first, I had trouble with the characters because they were just a few degrees off my personal experience of how high school boys act. But once you suspend your disbelief, it's a howler. We couldn't stop quoting lines from the "McLovin" subplot for days afterward.

Futurama the Movie: Bender’s Big Score. I can't even tell you how geeked we were to know there was brand new Futurama we hadn't seen before! The movie was fun. I hope they make more.

The Sting. This is a classic for a reason. I had seen it before, but many years ago. A really fun caper/buddy movie.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. OK, so neither the 2nd or the 3rd film were as good as the first, but I still enjoyed this muchly.

How could I fail to like a series where the woman who is the fainting damsel in distress in the first movie ends up the King of the Pirates by the third movie!

Pixar Short Films. These were fun. I'd seen some of them before, but it really shows the evolution of modern computer-aided animation well.

Shaolin Soccer. I had seen part of this before, but not the whole thing. I thought J. would like it. He loved it so much he made sure we got a copy. We don't usually like sports movies, but this is so silly it's hard not to love.

Freeway. Demented, violent, and highly satisfying. I'd seen this before but wanted J. to see it. He found it highly twisted but amusing, I think.

How High. Another one I'd seen but J. hadn't, so I had to expose him to it. One of the better stoner movies (though maybe not as good as "Harold and Kumar"). Genius use of "Du Hast" by Rammstein.

Knocked Up. Didn't expect to like this, but it was cute. I love Seth Rogan's laugh.

Shrek the Third. Amusing. J. had seen it but I hadn't. It was fun, but I think the franchise is getting a little played out.

My Neighbor Totoro. Another one I had seen but J. hadn't. I LOVE this film. Among other things, I like how differently Japanese folks treat casual family nudity; they show the two little girls in a communal bath with their dad, and it's very sweet.

The Tao of Steve. Highly amusing. Somewhat similar premise to Knocked up, but a little more rough around the edges and less sweet. In neither case do I really think the cute women would really go for these kind of schlubs in real life, but movies ARE about fantasy...

Girl 6. I've seen more than 2/3 of Spike Lee's films, but hadn't gotten around to this one. We recently had a chance to watch it for free, so we did. I like the main character, and I felt the phone sex customers were probably realistic. But, it also felt a little like, "OK, Spike. Why don't you tell us something new? We already KNOW we should never trust any character played by Madonna and that being a phone sex worker will probably make you jaded."

Uptown Saturday Night. Netflix recommended this to us, and we really liked it. I was kind of surprised that Sidney Poitier would pick something this silly and fluffy to direct, but he and Bill Cosby have good chemistry, and it's a super buddy/caper film.

Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels. Very violent, but funny.

Patriot Act. We enjoyed this more than we expected to. It's told from the viewpoint of Jeffrey Ross, one of a group of comedians (headliner is ex-Marine Drew Carrey) who are entertaining the troops in Iraq. I felt like I learned more about what things are REALLY like there for the troops in this comedy special/documentary than I have from hours worth of news footage. Ross ends up in the hospital with severe dehydration, they talk to a woman who earned a Purple Heart, and they talk about Bob Hope's legacy. Good stuff. Funny and poignant.

The Night of the Hunter. This was recommended to me by a friend who is into film noir. Robert Mitchum is truly evil in this. The plot is a little predictable, but it's beautifully shot in shadowy black and white.

Comments

Miyazaki Totally Rules!

[airsucker.livejournal.com]

My Neighbor Totoro
I love Miyazaki! Also try Spirited Away (my favorite, though MN Totoro is a close second), Porco Rosso, Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle and Kiki's Delivery Service. (I'm not sure the last one is his, but if it isn't, its very alike.)

Re: Miyazaki Totally Rules!

[sarahmichigan.livejournal.com]

Yep, I've seen all those, as well as "The Castle Cagliostro" and "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind." And we own "Spirited Away." I'm not a big fan of Mononoke, but I loved all the other ones you've listed.

Re: Miyazaki Totally Rules!

[firecat]

Try Whispers of the Heart.

Re: Miyazaki Totally Rules!

[airsucker.livejournal.com]

I forgot Nausicaa and I'll have to add Castle Cagliostro to the queue. Thanks.

[flyinglemurs.livejournal.com]

I love them. All of them I've seen so far. But I think Totoro wins the prize.

And yeah Sweeny todd, the beach scenes, oooooh I wanted one, framed. Or at least that outfit. Wouldn't that red one rock at citiclub? hehee

[trebor1415.livejournal.com]

My future step-brother (long story, that) called Sweeny Todd "The bloodiest movie EVER." Any thoughts on that?

We just watched the Futurama movie tonight. It was a Christmas present from someone. The really good news is they plan to make either three or four (can't remember right now) more Futurarama movies. Each movie will then be reedited into three 30-minute episodes and aired as a new season on, IIRC, Sci Fi channel.