Movie Ratings

I watched a few movies during my sabbatical. Way too many to review, so here’s the list broken down using the Netflix 5-star rating.

5 Stars – Loved It
Batman: The Dark Knight
WALL-E
War Dance
The Station Agent
About Schmidt
Lars and the Real Girl

4 Stars – Really Liked It
The Incredible Hulk
Click
Deja Vu
Gangs of New York
Vanatage Point
Michael Clayton
The Manchurian Candidate
Hellboy
Hellboy II
March of the Penquins
In Bruges
Jumper
The Aviator
Pan’s Labyrinth
Lord of War
The Great Debators
Babel
Definitely, Maybe
Dead Man Walking
Sideways
The Weather Man
Man on Fire
Traffic
Son of Rambow

3 Stars – Liked It
Semi-Pro
The Game Plan
The Muppets Take Manhattan
10,000 B.C.
Be Kind Rewind
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
Charlie Wilson’s War
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Maxed Out
Back to the Future II
Back to the Furute III
21
X-Men
X2: X-Men United
Red Dragon
Fun with Dick and Jane
Being John Malkovich
Stop-Loss
The Ex
Flightplan
Grizzly Man
The Promotion

2 Stars – Didn’t Like It
You Don’t Mess with the Zohan

Filed under: Culture, Movies, Netflix, Reviews

I Need A Battery For My Swatch Watch

So this time last year I declared my war on pop culture movies that I had sadly never seen. I’ve made a pretty serious dent in the list thanks to Netflix and a new schedule that allows it. Since the beginning of last year I’ve been able to watch just shy of 200 movies. (Click here and here for detailed lists, or click here for brief reviews.)

In addition to watching some Indiana Jones on Saturday, last week I added a few 80′s classics to my Que that, to my own amazement, I have never watched before. I’ve seen most of the classics, but I’ve never seen the following…

• St. Elmo’s Fire
• Pretty In Pink
• Sixteen Candles
• The Pick-up Artist
• Highlander

What other 80′s classics are a must see?

Filed under: 80's, Culture, Eighties, Movies, Netflix, Recommendations, Swatch

Weekend Observations

I Believe I Can Fly. Got to play some basketball over the weekend for the first time in years. And although my ability to suck air was greatly decreased, my ability to run with the big boys is still in tack.

The Ring Tattoo. I’m finding more and more that women just don’t think it’s as romantic as I do to get a ring tattoo to replace the jewelry. I’ve also been reading that finger tattoos tend to blur really easy. Gonna have to rethink this.

Moving. It sucks. I guess I’m glad it wasn’t me, but moving both my brother and sister during a Michigan winter really blows. Nice places though!

Walking Through Stores. Not a good idea for me. I see too many things that I must have, even though my life has been just fine up until this point without them. It’s better to just stay out of stores.

Free Stuff. They’re not always free. Tanner’s Ducktape Man won Jason’s superhero contest and the free DVD. But it cost me $10 in materials, and another $10 for a movie to give Tanner that he could actually watch. (The DVD Jason gave away was PG-13). But like Tonia said, a Sunday afternoon with your son… Priceless.

Speaking of Sunday. If you aren’t enjoying a hassle-free Sabbath day, you are really doing yourself a disservice. Lazy Sunday’s are an extremely important part of a healthy Mud Puppy.

New Media Glitches. This weekend I encountered my two first glitches with my new media outlets. First I received a damaged/missing Netflix envelope from the post office. Then I tried twice to record a program on my DVR, and both times it didn’t record the show.

I’m So Vain. Last night I went out to dinner with my wife, and I wore a watch that I knew for a fact didn’t work simply because it looked good with the shirt.

Filed under: Basketball, DVR, Michigan, Netflix, Sabbath, Shopping, Superhero's, Tattoos

Movie Recommendations

Help a brother out.

I have made some serious headway in catching up with my lost culture experiences in movies in the last 8 months. I haven’t checked off everything on my list yet, and there are still 86 movies in my Netflix Que, but I was curious if yous guys had any must-see movies for me that I might have missed. Although these are not exhaustive lists in terms of movies I’ve seen in my lifetime, you can reference the most recent movies I’ve seen here and here.

So what are your must-see movies?

Filed under: Culture, Movies, Netflix, Recommendations

Movie Sale – Take 2

I decided not to throw the rest of my movies on ebay just yet because this sale went so well.

So let’s try it again. Below is the list of movies remaining. Terms are the same:

You can own any of the movies below (on DVD unless otherwise specified) for $4 each. As an enticement, you can have 3 for $10. Shipping will cost you face value, and I will ship in any fashion you’d like.

First comment, first serve. I’ll keep the list updated as we go.

Anna and the King
Behind Enemy Lines
Big Daddy
Brian’s Song (2001 Remake)
Cliffhanger
Corrina, Corrina
Facing The Giants
Hitch
The Jackal
The Last Samurai
Made In America
Major League 2
Meet the Parents
Men of Honor
Money Talks
Mr. Deeds
National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1
Red Planet
Road to Perdition
Rudy
Rush Hour 1
Rush Hour 2
RV
The Sentinel
Spiderman 2
U-571

**DISCOUNT RACK — $1 EACH**
• Jumpin’ Jack Flash – DVD, No Case
• Weekend at Bernie’s – DVD, No Case
• Wayne’s World — VHS
• The Firm — VHS
• Field of Dreams — VHS
• Heat — VHS
• I.Q. — VHS
• Crocodile Dundee — VHS
• A Walk in the Clouds — VHS
• Ever After — VHS
• Speed — VHS
• Houseguest — VHS
• Under Siege 1 — VHS
• Under Siege 2 — VHS
• Crimson Tide — VHS
• A Few Good Men — VHS
• Phenomenon — VHS
• Multiplicity — VHS
• Murder in the First — VHS
• Apollo 13 — VHS
• A League of Their Own — VHS
• The Secret of My Success — VHS
• Outbreak — VHS
• Jurassic Park — VHS
• Nine Months — VHS
• Young Indiana Jones — VHS
• Indiana Jones Trilogy ($5) — VHS

Don’t forget that since the money from these sales will help fund the Christmas presents for my family, a portion of these sales will go directly toward building a well in Africa.

Filed under: Culture, DVD, Ebay, Movies, Netflix, Sale, VHS

Movie Sale

This is a long time coming, but it’s finally here—and just in time for Black Friday!

Below is a list of movies I am selling from my personal collection. Netflix has changed the way I do movies, and I can bear to let these go. Most have been seen only a few times max. I am ashamed to admit that some have never even been watched—one is still in the wrapper.

I’ll be putting these up on ebay next week, but before I do I wanted to give my loyal readers an opportunity to snatch them up first (as well as save myself extra work). You can own any of the movies below (on DVD unless otherwise specified) for $4 each. As an enticement, you can have 3 for $10. Shipping will cost you face value, and I will ship in any fashion you’d like.

First comment, first serve. I’ll keep the list updated as we go.

A Bronx Tale
A Knights Tale
Anna and the King
As Good As It Gets
Batteries Not Included
Behind Enemy Lines
Big Daddy
Black Hawk Down
Bounce
Bowfinger
Brian’s Song (2001 Remake)
Catch Me If You Can
Cliffhanger
Con Air
Cool Runnings
Corrina, Corrina
Dead Poets Society
Facing The Giants
Fantastic 4
Fargo
Finding Forrester
Ghostbusters 1
Ghostbusters 2
The Green Mile
Hitch
Inside Man
The Jackal
Kung Fu Hustle
The Last Samurai
Made In America
Major League 1
Major League 2
The Man Who Knew Too Little
Meet the Parents
Memphis Belle
Men of Honor
Minority Report
Mission Impossible 2
Money Talks
Mr. Deeds
National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1
The Natural
Notting Hill
The Patriot
The Pianist
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Radio
Red Dawn
Red Planet
Road to Perdition
The Rock
Ronin
Rudy
Rush Hour 1
Rush Hour 2
RV
The Sentinel
Shanghai Knights
Spiderman 2
Suicide Kings
The Sum of All Fears
Syriana
Three Kings
U-571
Unbreakable
You’ve Got Mail

**DISCOUNT RACK — $1 EACH**
• Jackie Chan’s First Strike – DVD, No Case
• Jumpin’ Jack Flash – DVD, No Case
• Weekend at Bernie’s – DVD, No Case
• Wayne’s World — VHS
• The Firm — VHS
• Field of Dreams — VHS
• Heat — VHS
• I.Q. — VHS
• Crocodile Dundee — VHS
• A Walk in the Clouds — VHS
• Ever After — VHS
• Hoosiers — VHS
• Speed — VHS
• Dumb and Dumber — VHS
• Houseguest — VHS
• Under Siege 1 — VHS
• Under Siege 2 — VHS
• Crimson Tide — VHS
• A Few Good Men — VHS
• Phenomenon — VHS
• Multiplicity — VHS
• Murder in the First — VHS
• Apollo 13 — VHS
• A League of Their Own — VHS
• The Secret of My Success — VHS
• Outbreak — VHS
• Top Gun — VHS
• Jurassic Park — VHS
• Pulp Fiction — VHS
• Nine Months — VHS
• Young Indiana Jones — VHS
• Indiana Jones Trilogy ($5) — VHS

You should also know that since the money from these sales will help fund the Christmas presents for my family, a portion of these sales will go directly toward building a well in Africa.

Filed under: DVD, Ebay, Movies, Netflix, Sale, VHS

Bowling For Documentaries

I figure it’s time to venture into the documentary section of Netflix. I had plans to simply pick five of the big hitters for my next round of reviews, but after rumbling around in their database for awhile I came out with the following nine choices:

1. An Inconvenient Truth
2. Fahrenheit 9/11
3. Bowling For Columbine
4. Sicko
5. Roger & Me
6. Helvetica
7. Who Killed the Electric Car
8. No End in Sight
9. Jesus Camp

Of course now I have to make it an even ten, so I’m stuck choosing one out of the rest. Here are my current top choices.

• Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price
• Grizzly Man
• Murderball
• March of the Penguins
• Born Into Brothels

Any suggestions or recommendations? (I’ve already seen Supersize Me.)

Filed under: Al Gore, Culture, Documentaries, Global Warming, Michael Moore, Movies, Netflix, Politics

Movie Reviews

*This is the quickest I’ve ever watched 5 movies in my life.

Meet The Robinsons — Friday the fam sat down to watch this one together. I have to admit that I fell asleep for about a half-hour in the middle of this one. Not sure if it was because of the movie, or because I was beat. Regardless, it picked up steam once I woke up. It actually challenged me a bit because it was about adoption and that’s something that’s been on my heart in the last couple years. It might be time to take that leap of faith. Oh, it also featured a fun song by the Jonas Brothers, and a great song by Rob Thomas called Little Wonders. Gonna have to pick up that soundtrack… for Tanner of course.

Mission Impossible III — Later that evening I was refreshed from my mini nap and checked out the latest Ethan Hunt story. I really enjoyed this movie. I like most of Tom Cruise’s movies, and this is my favorite genre. Philip Seymour Hoffman was outstanding, and Simon Pegg was a great surpise in this movie. I’m a huge fan, and his character was hilarious. I can’t rate this one compared to the other two, because I really can’t remember them that well.

The Last Sin Eater — Saturday afternoon while Tonia took the dog to get a haircut and to shop for a bit, I popped this one in while I folded clothes. It took a good 15-20 minutes to get rolling in this movie, but in the end I really enjoyed it. It might have had a little to do with kids being the main characters, or with their cool accents, or with Elliott from E.T. (Henry Thomas) making an appearance. Whatever it was, I’m glad I watched this one. The story was very clever. So much better than Facing The Giants.

Return of the Jedi — Saturday night, after a going away party, a group of us gathered around to finish off the Star Wars saga. I honestly can’t remember watching this since it came out in theaters. I have to say, I sure don’t remember Leia wearing such a skimpy outfit. I guess I just wasn’t paying attention back then. But I sure did remember all of the cool new creatures. It was fun watching all of these movies all over again. I’ve been dying for the box set to come out. I wish Lucas would get off his butt and get that done already! Tanner has already said that he wants to be Yoda for Halloween next year. I’m stoked. I might have to get dressed up with him. I wonder what should I be.

Flight 93 — Sunday night Tonia and I sat down and watched this one. It’s weird watching a movie that you pretty much know what’s going to happen already. And it’s really weird watching a movie about September 11. But they really did a good job on this movie, and whoever made the call on not having established actors in this was genius. It wouldn’t have had the same effect otherwise. I know there are a million conspiracy theories out there concerning that day, and that flight in particular, but I like to think that these people acted quickly and selflessly to save the lives of others they never knew. True hero’s in every sense. Next on our que is World Trade Center, since we’re on the subject. Wonder how that will compare.

—-

Funny story about movies…

The other day Tonia and Tanner were at the library looking for a movie to watch, and Tanner picked one out. Tonia said he couldn’t watch it because it was PG-13, and he had to be 13 years old to watch it. He suggested they look for some good PG-4 movies then.

I love kids.

Filed under: 9/11, Culture, Jonas Brothers, Movies, Netflix, Reviews, Star Wars

Status Check

I’ve posted about a couple of high aspirations recently. To keep myself in check, here is a status update.

Summer of George — Well this started off with a bang. It hit its stride around the first of July. Then the wheels fell off. I got really tired of my old bike and, honestly, a little laziness set in. For the record I kept up the breakfast / soymilk part through June and July. The exercise part ended up regressing each month after a solid month of perfection. Now that I’ve got a new bike, and new aspirations, I should be able to be a little more consistent. All in all I still think I did some good in preparation for the cholesterol test. I’ll keep you posted. (I still have a few bowls of Cheerios to eat to finish off the supply I had Tonia buy.)

Culture Gap — This is going a little better than expected. Thanks in most part to the addition of Netflix. I still have a few left to complete the list, however there are a few I’m thinking of eliminating. I’ve heard no good reviews to warrant giving Clockwork Orange a look. And after the first Monty Python movie I watched, I’m positive it couldn’t get any better with Life of Brian. And I seriously doubt I’ll watch all of the Star Trek and James Bond movies, but I will catch a few so I’m not completely out of the conversation. (Any recommendations on those?)

Filed under: Cheerios, Cholesterol, Culture, Goals, Movies, Netflix

My Netflix Que

Capote – Disturbia – True Romance – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Platoon – Lost in Translation – Hot Fuzz – An Inconvenient Truth – World Trade Center – Four Brothers – THX 1138: Special Edition – Mission: Impossible III – The Last Sin Eater – The Second Chance – Flyboys – End of the Spear – The Shining – Walk the Line – Cinderella Man – Good Night, and Good Luck – Blood Diamond – Click – United 93 – Unforgiven – Borat – Breach – Punch-Drunk Love – Adaptation – Thank You for Smoking – Fahrenheit 9/11 – Bowling for Columbine – Roger & Me – Dogma – Hotel Rwanda – Ray – Tron – Dune – Top Secret! – Blades of Glory – Sideways – The Boondock Saints – Deliverance – Pump Up the Volume – Reality Bites – Singles – Amazing Grace – How to Get Ahead in Advertising – Live Free or Die Hard – Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End – Spider-Man 3

What’s In You’re Que?

Filed under: Culture, Movies, Netflix