Ah, too many games.

I assumed she was all fluff since she was in Hunger Games, then I saw her in Silver Linings Playbook, and was really impressed. She deserves to be the next big star.

Yeah, she's pretty amazing. She's that woman I look at and say "how is THAT fair?" ;)

I have the second season of Breaking Bad, 5th season of Mad Men, season 1 and 2 of Homeland, and various movies but I haven't been able to be interested in too much these days.

i'm nearing the end of season 3 Breaking Bad.

Oh damn, Dana, you are in for a treat.

You will want to get your hands on the first episode of Season 4 ASAP, that's all I'm saying. :)

Oh man, it's ridiculous. I went to bed, the other night, having spent a couple of hours over at the two J's house being hard sold on a return to Breaking Bad (they're BB obsessed at the moment, as is my Bro), and figured I'd watch one episode from where I'd left off last time.

One thirty I ended up turning off my light! And even then it was an act of supreme self-control not to play the next episode.

Awesome stuff.

I have the whole of season 4 sitting on my harddrive in readiness :)

I just saw the last of the last of BB. No worries I won't spoil it for you. I was saying to someone at work yesterday 'WTF am I going to watch that would be even 1/4 as good'. Everyone here has been watching OITNB. Lots of lesbian sex apparently. :l. Does someone know if there's a story worth watching...?

Yes, I've definitely enjoyed Orange Is The New Black. The heart-rending drama is not in one constantly ratcheting storyline like Breaking Bad, but rather the dozens of small but poignant backstories of each woman there in the prison. The side characters are at least as important as the main character, and there are episodes where she barely makes an appearance. Also, the lesbian sex stops being quite so prevalent after the first few episodes. I mean, it's still there, but only as relationship drama, less nudity.

On a side note, I also strongly recommend the show "Wilfred." Technically a drama, but wickedly funny as well.

Can I suggest trying The Walking Dead, if you haven't already?

The first couple of eps are basically a Zombie apocalypse movie, but then it turns into something altogether more interesting (not that zombie apocalypse stories aren't interesting in their own right). When you watch a zombie apocalypse movie it always ends after the initial horror. Really what is interesting is what happens next in this newly drawn world.

It becomes a character drama. It's about how groups of humans survive and rebuild.


As to Breaking Bad: I watched ep 1 of series 4 today. God it just keeps getting better.

Have you seen Deadwood?

That show paints exquisite tapestries of profanity.

I'm not really into the whole zombie thing, but one of my older sisters absolutely loves it (she's the serious one). What is Deadwood and Wilfred about?

Wilfred is about a young man (Elijah Wood) with depression, anxiety, and self-esteem issues. In the middle of attempting suicide with pills, his new neighbor comes to say hello, and he sees her dog Wilfred as a man in a dog costume, speaking clear (if profane) English. He wakes up from his failed suicide attempt, and discovers that the dog hallucination is persisting despite the drugs being out of his system. Everyone else sees Wilfred as just a normal dog.

Wilfred becomes his best friend, but is mostly a huge pain in the ass, teaching him life lessons the hard way. The series plays around a lot with what is real and what isn't (we later meet another character who can see Wilfred, but is that guy a hallucination too?) The humor is all down to the actor playing Wilfred, who also played the same role in the original Australian version of the series. It is raunchy, but very, very wittily raunchy. It is a drama, definitely not a cheap-joke sitcom. Ryan's struggle with his inner demons will break your heart sometimes, and you genuinely want him to find a way to get his shit together and win the neighbor girl.

That is a brilliant bit.

I'm gonna have to watch the next season of Wilfred. My women are watching Orange as well.

Yeah. I was sceptical about a whole series based around a zombie apocalypse at first.

But it really isn't about zombies at all. It's a character drama. The zombies are just the background threat against which the character drama plays out. It could be anything. It could be wild beasts, or cylons, or aliens or whatever. The core of it is about human interaction and survival. What happens to people when the civilised world is ripped away.

Deadwood is about the word 'fuck'. It's far more prevalent than 'a', 'an', or 'the'.

Nah, I know the show's more than that, but it's so over-used that it turned even me off, and I'm like the world's most proliferate cusser.

There's a fair amount of cunting on that show too. Bummer it ended. It was awesome.

One cocksucka, two cocksucka.

-Woo.

Timothy Olyphant is the lead in Deadwood. That's all you need to know...:p:.

I'm serious.

Lol.

I just picked up Wild Wild West - The Complete Series for $7 at a library book sale. There are a boatload of disks, and they all appear to be like new.

Now I need to book some time over a few weekends. I plan on pairing the first DVD viewing with a steak dinner. If I didn't abstain, there would be beer involved.

Unfortunately, I do not have a man cave set up.:biggrinba

I really liked Deadwood, but Timothy Olyphant is a pussy compared to Robert Conrad. Probably the only Deadwood character worthy of being on Wild Wild West is Swearengen.

The Lords of Salem with Dee Wallace; a Rob Zombie film.

Termite: The Walls Have Eyes (when I get my Blu-ray hooked up...and I am getting a new flat screen TV this week.)

Lillian's Story (1998 movie starring Toni Collette)

An American Horror Story Season 1

Damages Season 2

Streaming Inspector Morse seasons 1 through 4, Madhouse (old Vincent Price horror flick), Dredd, which is seriously horrible.

"Pacific Rim", which was exactly what it says on the tin.

We had a marathon movie session recently, this list is probably comprehensive, but maybe not.

*deep breath*

After Earth -- ** -- It was OK. I was hoping for more Will Smith. He's in it, barely. Cool effects, his son does ok for a youngster. Stream it, if you must.

Bad Teacher -- ***.5 -- I really enjoyed this movie, but Twil does not care for Cameron Diaz. She's sooo bad (her character that is, she plays it just right), it's difficult to actually root for. Rent it for money if you must!

In Bruges -- ***.5 -- We borrowed this movie to watch, as a stand-in for whatever else wasn't available when we were making our selections. It was a re-run for me, as I'd seen it before, and then bought it. A rather dark black comedy. I like both Ray Fiennes and Colin Farrell and both deliver the goods in this film. Buy.

Movie 43 -- *** -- Do you remember Kentucky Fried Movie? I do, I own it on VHS. This is an homage to the extended sketch comedy collection style of KFM. It's even cruder, and just as funny. The scene in the supermarket is by far my favorite. Also, the cast is dazzling. Clearly KFM made a mark on them during their impressionable youth, too. Rent it.

Jack Reacher -- *** -- Twil's also moderately allergic to Tom Cruise, so this one was viewed, or largely ignored by her, but I enjoyed it. He's not a superhero/ninja/spy/robot, just a "regular" dude that participates in an investigation of a mass shooting. It's well done and I suggest you rent it.

The Impossible -- **** -- Brilliant, stressful movie. The true story of one family's ordeal during the Christmas tsunami in Indonesia. Ewan MacGregor and Naomi Watts are dazzling. Definitely rent, maybe buy (don't know about the replayability, but you really should see this one at least once.)

The Heat -- *** -- This has been on Twil's list for some time now, and we finally got a chance to see it. By the measure of Bridesmaids, it's ... a little wanting. But that's a very hard act to follow. All by itself, very funny! The two of them crack me the hell up! Rent it!

The Croods -- **.5 -- Enjoyable, predictable. The animation was quite good. Stream it.

Despicable Me -- *** -- Also funny, slightly less predictable. A different style of animation, but I liked them both. Stream it.

Stoker -- **.5 -- Not as creepy as the trailers, sadly. I would recommend NOT watching the trailer. I enjoyed the unpredictability and the assortment of unanswered and unexplained images and ideas in the film. Too bad there's not more Nicole Kidman in it. Stream it.

42 -- **** -- This is an epic story, and well told in this film. The harshness of the hatred, the unthinking, ignorance is sickening. SonofV said "I'm usually not a fan of dramas, but that was excellent." I couldn't agree more. Buy this one.

*whew*

Anne of Green Gables - Still wonderful.

Movie 43. Some would be offended. Dwellars will laugh. Very low brow.

Not DvDs, but i am really enjoying catching back up with Arrow. i fell off it right near the end of series one, so I rewatched the last episode I saw to remind myself of the plot lines, finished up the remaining episode and then watched first two of the new season.

I have episode three buffering now...then I am up to date which kind of sucks. Should probably have waited for it to get nearer the end before I started watching. hate that week to week wait.

Still...really enjoyed my little Arrow marathon.

I just watched the pilot. I liked it much more than I thought I would.

It gets better as time goes on as well. First few eps are often funny for the wrong reasons - some seriously cheesy dialogue and the gruff cop's acting.

By the second half of the season it had turned into one of my favourite shows.

Did the show change, or did it brainwash you into thinking it's actually good?

Friends did this to me. I initially thought it was incredibly dumb, but then everyone was all "hey, did you see friends?" so I started watching it again and got sucked in. And after a couple of years, it hit me one day that it really was dumb. And I couldn't watch it again.

Well, familiarity generally breeds a more generous watching of a show. But no, I think it definitely got better.

Some elements remain utterly cheesy:

The gruff cop, makes me laugh quite often. Partly because of some of the lines he has to choke out, and partly because of the way he chews the scenery.

The training scenes are clearly a way to show off some glistening abs.

And the main villain is diabolical in his plans.

But it's good humoured cheese. And often knowingly so. I love it.



[eta] also, the fight scenes a great fun.

Managed to get the complete first and second series of Green Wing on eBay for a good price. Crazy doesn't even begin to describe it...

Oh, I loved Green Wing.

Watched a little comedy called Butter. It's got Olivia Wilde, Rob Corddry, Alicia Silverstone, Jennifer Garner, Hugh Jackman, plus that guy from Modern Family... how can you go wrong? I was expecting a Christopher-Guest-style thing where it's only funny because the characters are so painfully awkward, but actually, it was much more of a silly, witty-punchline kind of funny. I liked it a lot.

I saw Butter. It was good. I forget the plot details but I remember I liked it.

I give Butter three stars, we loved it too!

Last night, I finished rewatching Six Feet Under. I bought the whole series set, it's in a 'book' of discs, and has a little booklet with 'obits' of the main characters. It's quite nice.

There were a few times when I thought "well, that's enough with the 'everybody's fucking' episode." But I remembered why I think it's one of the best series ever made, and it definitely has the best series finale of anything EVER. I cried as if it were the first time I'd seen it. It's just beautiful. I feel the character depictions were amazing: these seemed like real people...all fucked up and dealing with life and death and love and hate and complex relationships.

I wondered at my decision to watch this series again, with my mom being sick. But it was strangely comforting. There were times when it really hit home, and I would have a good cry (which, ultimately, helps me: I get my crying done at home...so I can be stronger when it counts.)

I fell in love again with the characters: Ruth, Nate, David, Keith, Brenda, Sarah (Ruth's sister played by Patricia Clarkson who I love love love! Watch Pieces of April for another great Patricia Clarkson role), Bettina (played by Kathy Bates) and of course, Claire. And Olivier! He's genius! Possibly one of the weirdest characters you ever couldn't help but love.

Also, I did finally see Termite: The Walls Have Eyes. Don't try to pigeonhole this movie! It's clever, very clever, and I would be hard pressed to categorize it. The film was made by students, under the direction of veteran actor John Walcutt. I highly recommend this film for lovers of indies and fans of films that don't fit the normal (read: ubiquitous) formulas.

"Pain & Gain" w/The Rock, Anthony Mackie, & Mark Wahlberg. A very quirky, unbelievably true story.

Narrator, at the beginning: "...and, unfortunately, this is a true story."

A little past halfway thru, the movie goes to freeze-frame, and the subtitle "Remember, this still a true story." appears.

You will not believe people can actually be this stupid. But, they were.

Watch the flick first, you'll be well-entertained, then read up on the case. Wikipedia has a pretty good article on it.

The reality is every bit as entertaining as the movie.

Ultraman. Japanese Rubber Suit Monster goodness.

Recently :

Fido
Blackfish
The Way Way Back
RED2

I'm trying to decide if 'RED2' will be worth watching.

Watched RED 2, it was entertaining. It was pretty hard to ignore how long in the tooth Bruce Willis is during the opening scene in the harsh and unforgiving light of the Costco. The rest of the film he either had a different make-up person or it was shot several years before the first scene.

I also watched Butter. Surprisingly good, light fare. It wasn't Little Miss Sunshine, but it moved along quickly enough. The best line in the film: "I don't think I want you hanging around with strippers."

Saw Transformers 1 and 3. Very much like what I imagine a 10 year old boy would script if he were organized enough. How can you not love Optimus Prime? and Bumble Bee? and Megan Fox?

Not sure what happens to her between 1 and 3 where she's replaced by some other gal.

just wiki'd it, apparently Fox is not only addicted to her crackberry, she also invoked Godwin's law while talking about her director. Oops.

Saw Blackfish not long ago.
Still laughing my head off at Green Wing.
Waiting for the DVD release of GoT Season 3. I know everyone has watched Season 4 already, but DVDs have subtitles and TV doesn't.

Yikes. I just got a notice about my roaming charges here in Roatan. I probably won't be online again until early next week.

Watched a few minutes of Elysium last night then realized I needed sleep more than a shitty sci fi film.

The movie is supposed to be taking place in 2154 on an overpopulated and devastated earth in the slums of LA that are not much more than rubble, shanties and bad CGI ruined skyscrapers. In the midst of this dusty, dry, no-one apparently has enough water to wash their faces, rubble and trash strewn shithole, a couple of compadres are drinking beer from bright, clean, new bottles WITH PERFECT LABELS.

Where the fuck are the acres of barley, glass works, breweries with billions of gallons of water, fuel to make the bottles, ship them, refrigerate them, and brew the fucking beer?
And that was just the first of several "nails on the blackboard" moments in the first 20 minutes of the film.

Jeezum. Make a fucking effort.

I also watched "Now you see me" which required at least as much suspension of disbelief, but it was about magic, so... and it was pretty well written, and well acted. Lots of good plot twists. In fact, I'd even say there were lot's of good plot twist's.

Watched "Bad Grandpa" (7 - even though I hate 'Jackass', and I'm not wild about Johnny Knoxville) last night. Interesting way of making a movie. They used various 'Candid Camera'-type clips, and blended those scenes with regular scripted movie scenes to tie them together to make a story. Sorta.

Also watched "Escape Plan" (7.5 - Entertaining enough). How a movie with that many big-name actors escaped my attention escapes me.

Movies I've seen recently:

American Hustle (Already reviewed it in its own thread. Loved it.)

In a World (This is one fun flick. Lake Bell is adorable and it's a funny movie. I thought about Clodfobble, as it's about the voiceover industry. Also has Demetri Martin who is 40 and looks about 19.)

Blue Jasmine (I really liked it. Cate Blanchett is good as the former socialite going nutso. Perhaps I like her because she's nutso. I mean, I can relate. Anyway, think what you want about Woody Allen, he sure can make a film)

Dallas Buyers Club (OMG...good movie. Great story and cast. If you didn't know Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto were in it, you might not recognize them. Jared...who knew? You've come a long way from Jordan Catalano, my friend)

TV series on DVD:

I am going to start Season 5 of the Sopranos tonight. It's been fun going back through the story and filling in missing pieces, and remembering parts. The best episode (the funniest one, anyway) is Pine Barrens. I remembered the dialogue between Paulie and Tony on the cell phone, when Paulie and Christopher had taken the Russian into the woods and he got loose by hitting Chris in the head with the shovel they'd given him to dig his own grave:

Tony: Did you deliver the package?

Paulie: The package hit Chrissy with an implement.

But I"d forgotten that shortly after they're shooting at the Russian, running through the snowy woods. One of them must've just grazed the Russian's head, you see blood spurt out, but Russian keeps moving. Paulie says "maybe he's stunned!." Really, you gotta know Paulie, and imagine him saying it. It's hilarious!

eta: I was watching the opening credits every episode to time when 9/11 happened. The shots are of Tony driving home: view of part of city skyline, cut to sign for the New Jersey turnpike, cut back to skyline which includes the twin towers. That shot was in season 1-3 and cut out from 4 on. I just found that interesting, in a recent history kind of way.

Just for funsies, here's the trailer for In a World. Yeah, I really liked it. Clod, you gotta see it.

Will do!

I'm glorying in my bargain box set of The League of Gentlemen live boxset.
All bought separately, then either sold in times of financial stress, or lent out, or both. Replaced for a fraction of the original cost.

Am breathlessly waiting another two bargain buys, the Cornetto Trilogy and a Zommmmmmbie-fest including Cockneys vs Zombies and Zombieland. I may gift on.

The sadness is that the DVD player in the living room has karked it.
So even when the 'rents are out I still have to watch perched on the kitchen table, or in the cold back bedroom.

Zombieland is awesome. I watched it a couple of weeks ago and loved it.

I was interested in it when it came out, but never got around to seeing it.
Recently I watched a YouTube debate re Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland and it made me want to see it more.
So as soon as I saw it as part of a three film deal I knew I had to have it.

But if I don't like it I will blame you.
Yes, retrospectively.
And unfair.
But them's the way the cards fall. Like zombies.

Fairy Nuff.

I wasn't so much into the zombie stuff when it came out, so, though I sort of was interested, it kind of passed me by. Then, whilst my internet was completely off, J came round with a hard drive full of movies and filled my computer up with stuffs for me to watch (bless his cotton socks!).

Started watching Zombieland with no real idea what to expect (other than zombies natch). It was a nice reminder of just how awesome Woody Harrelson is.

Oh yeah. And I saw Don Jon. Don't waste your money. Just don't. The trash that passes for movies...ugh. Lowest common denominator much?

Watching War Horse.
Already crying.
Having to take a break.

I cried through the book too.

And I don't even like horses.

Finished Elysium and I want to revise my original shitty review. I must have been over tired or something.

I'll write more later

Just netflix listed.

Saw Flight, like Denzel again. Really dug into addiction.

Flight was really good.

Watching Cockneys vs Zombies and really laughing.
I wish I could share it with the 'rents but they always have a heavy schedule of TV to watch or catch up on, and there is no DVD player in the living room now (for reasons which were never adequately explained.)

Maybe I'll watch it with them once they've moved; we can start having a Movie Night.

Gonna finish loopers tonight.