Thanks to Netflix
When I’m not reading or writing or dealing with anxious dogs and screaming children at the vet or contemplating liniment cake, THEN I sit down and watch TV. I hesitate to say I “watch TV” since I don’t get any channels, not even the most basic of basic channels – my TV doesn’t have an antenna. Thanks to the wonders of Netflix, though, I can still couch potato it like the rest of the world. I only lack knowledge of current commercials and really, what am I missing out on? Those dumb high fructose corn syrup commercials? No thanks.
So the last 13 things I watched on Netflix—
1. Tropic Thunder. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this movie, I’d heard both good and bad things. This is what you call an Equal Opportunity Offender. Jack Black was a bit disappointing in this movie, but Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise were something else. Wow. So funny. And so wrong.
2. Get Smart. I used to love the TV show and thought Steve Carell made a good Max. I laughed aloud at a number of lines, especially the scene where The Rock staples a guy’s face for not following office policy on refilling paper at the printer. I fully believe The Rock would do that in real life.
3. Smallville Season 7. I’ve only watched the first half of this season so far. I have a Smallville addiction. Actually, I have a Superman addiction. I love watching his heroics. It’s something I picked up from my mom, who only likes watching action and fantasy (which is how I grew up watching the A-Team, Hawaii Five-O, and Clash of the Titans). Plus, Tom Welling is ridiculously good looking. He makes the show worth sitting through every agonizing scene with Lana “I look like a twelve year old and have had so many different personalities in one series I don’t know who I am anymore” Lang. Enough with the Lana. More Lois, I say, MORE LOIS!
4. Pride and Prejudice, the BBC series. I decided once and for all to watch this and compare it to my beloved movie. The TV did a better job with the book adaptation, but it’s much longer, so they had the room to do it. I preferred Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth as the main characters vs Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. They looked more the way I imagined them to look from the book. I also think the younger sisters, Mr. Wickham, and Lady Catherine de Bourgh were better in the TV series. The TV Lydia was fantastically obnoxious. I preferred the movie Jane over the TV Jane as well as the movie Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Bingley, and Caroline Bingley, even thought the TV series gave the Bingley’s more of a role. Above all, nothing tops Tom Hollander’s performance of Mr. Collins in the movie. Oh, I cringe just thinking of him. And in other news, I spent way too much time analyzing this.
5. Be Kind Rewind. I have no choice but to say this movie was not as funny as I expected it to be. Whose fault is that, do you think? They should never have advertised the movie with the Ghostbusters reenactment because that was by far the funniest part of the movie and you can only go downhill when you give us your best scenes in the preview. Props to the word “Sweded” though. And I heart Mos Def.
6. Entourage Season 4. I watch this show for three people: Johnny Drama, Ari Gold, and Lloyd. Why is E so annoying? Why!!!! And Billy, what’s with the attitude? You were funny for a while, but enough’s enough.
7. Garfield. Who believes that there is a veterinarian out there who dresses like Jennifer Love Hewitt?
8. SpongeBob Square Pants: The Movie. Obviously, I rented this for the kids. I have to admit, though, had I known that David Hasselhoff would be appearing as himself, I totally would have gone to the theatre.
9. The Savages. Look at me! I’m an independent movie! See the dysfunction? See the presence of Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman? See how I have the scenes set to music that is seemingly disconnected but muy, muy creative? Yes, I am an independent movie! Um… sorry. I actually rather enjoyed this movie. Compelling subject, good acting, good dialogue. And excellent Jimmy, the Nigerian nursing home employee. The movie just seemed to be trying a little too hard.
10. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. I rented this and then Husband watched it while I wasn’t home and said he didn’t want to watch it again because it wasn’t that good. So I wound up returning this without watching it. How could it have possibly lived up to “Let’s burn it Pookie! Let’s burn this motherf*cker down!” anyway…
11. Sweeney Todd. I only watched the first half of this, and thought it was mesmerizing, especially “My Friends” and “Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir” but then I fell asleep and never got around to watching the second half and was antsy to get the next movie and really, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stomach any more throat slitting and blood spilling, so I’ll just buy the CD because the music was what I was really interested in.
12. We Are Marshall. Much like my feelings towards Superman, I am addicted to sports flicks, especially football (note my love for The Waterboy, The Replacements, The Longest Yard, Jerry Maguire, Invincible, even Necessary Roughness). We Are Marshall was heartfelt without being melodramatic, which is sometimes a problem with this kind of movie, but not exactly compelling either. I was glad to have seen it, but no need to see it again. And what was with Matthew McConaughey’s accent?
13. Flight of the Conchords Season 1. Abso-friggin-lutely Hilarious. HILARIOUS! Everyone should rent Flight of the Conchords. I watched so many of their songs on YouTube and worried the show wouldn’t live up, but it soooooo did. Jermaine’s David Bowie impersonation is out of control. I leave you with this, my favorite song:
More lists of thirteen here.
