We're free! ... of cable

In an attempt to save some money and try to be more productive, the S.O. and I canceled cable TV and returned the DVR yesterday. Of course, we still have our Netflix account and the Internet (we actually have to have Internet access because we both work from home most of the time) so there's still plenty of "television" for us to watch. But we're hoping that when we sit down to watch, we watch something worth watching and don't just spend two hours flipping channels through mindless drivel.

That's not to say we won't end up watching some mindless drivel. Netflix has plenty of (really bad) reality shows available -- many to watch instantly. I'm going to fight to keep the worst of them off my queue, though.

Considering the good track record Netflix has suggesting movies for me, I expect to be watching a lot of British television programs, foreign films (especially foreign horror films), claymation and anime.

What I watched: "American Zombie"

In case I haven't said this a hundred times already, I love the Netflix watch instantly feature. I have watched many movies and TV shows -- good and bad -- that I would have never rented or put on my queue. Case in point is the movie I watched last night. It's a "mockumentary" called "American Zombie."

From the film's media Web site:

Filmmakers Grace Lee (“The Grace Lee Project”) and John Solomon (“Nonsense Man”) team up to shoot a documentary about high-functioning zombies living in Los Angeles and their struggles to gain acceptance in human society.

Now, anyone who has read even a little of this blog is well aware of my love for all things zombie. And I know I'm not alone in my love. Vampires may be the hot new thing and sexy as hell, but zombies will always be the top monster in my book. The scariest thing about zombies is their complete lack of humanity. They have no regard for family or friends. They kill and eat indiscriminately.

In "American Zombie," those particular zombies are known as "feral zombies." They have lost all humanity. But there are two other types: zombies who have retained enough humanity to do manual labor and "high-functioning zombies" who seem to be just like any other human -- except for their decaying flesh, of course. And none of them seem to have a taste for human flesh -- or do they? (Cue ominous music.)

The film follows four high-functioning zombies through their day-t0-day lives. We see them at their jobs, interacting with girlfriends and co-workers and preparing to attend Live Dead (a kind of Burning Man festival for zombies only). The film makers finally get permission to attend -- despite being living humans -- and film Live Dead, resulting in dire consequences.

It's an interesting take on the zombie genre. Though it wasn't as funny as I'd hoped it would be, I still enjoyed watching the film. For a die-hard zombie fan, like myself, it was a good movie. For everyone else, I'd probably say give it a pass. It starts out slow and has a pretty predictable ending.

All in all, I'd give it a better rating than the 4.9 stars out of 10 IMDb users give it. But, as I said, I have a love for all things zombie, from the super cheesy to the classic.

Country music remembrances

In which part of an e-mail exchange poses as a blog post, and I show my age and nerdity.

Me: (in response to a link to "Whatcha Gonna Do With a Cowboy" by Chris LeDoux) Yeee haw!

He: Among my many musical oddities: I like country music that sounds like older country and western -- like that. Country song popular in the 1960s or 1970s? I probably know all the words.

Me: I grew up listening to (or being forced to listen to) the likes of Freddy Fender, Tom T. Hall, Conway Twitty and others. I can still listen to Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash, but most of the new country just sounds like twangy pop to me. So I can understand your "musical oddities."

He: So you... you remember the year that Clayton Delaney died?? (/arcane test)

Me: No. But I do remember the night that the lights went out in Georgia. And that day Billy Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge.

He: He jumped because ROBBY BENSON DIDN'T GET THE OSCAR FOR THAT ROLE!! Ahem. The preceding microrant was gayer than a sequined handbag full of rainbows.

Me: Robby Benson WAS dreamy.

My apologies to those of you too young and/or hip to get the references. And even more apologies to those of you old enough and/or nerdy enough to get the references -- your ear worm of the day.

What I watched: "The Orphanage"

Let me say this first: What the hell took me so long to discover that Netflix had this "watch instantly" feature?!?

The S.O. and I use Blockbuster Online because he can get coupons for free games and we can return our movies to the store to exchange them for other movies. So we will probably keep that. But Netflix has already been worth the $10 I spend on it. I have watched the entire first season of "Better Off Ted" (If you haven't watched it, do. It's been canceled but it's hilarious.), a couple episodes of other series and several movies -- all instantly. (Plus a couple of DVDs.)

Last night, while the S.O. was at ground school, I watched "The Orphanage," a 2007 Spanish ghost story. It's dark and tense and doesn't rely on cheap tricks to scare you.

I sat alone in the dark, clutching my pillow, watching this suspenseful story of a mother's search for her child, never really sure if it was a ghost story or a story of her descent into madness. If you enjoy foreign films or movies like "The Others," I recommend "The Orphanage."

On the other hand, if you hate reading subtitles or find yourself constantly questioning why a character would go into that room alone, this might not be the film for you.

And yet, I know he'll just break my heart again

There is something oh-so-charming about Jason Lee in this promo.



Still, I don't know if I can ever fully forgive him for "Alvin and the F'ing Chipmunks."

Big Pivotal Pics

I am borrowing an idea from my good friend Lisa over at Grandma's Briefs for this post. She wrote about 12 movies that had an impact on her life so far. At the end of her post she asks for our pivotal pics. Because I thought the subject deserved a bit of thought, I decided to post here rather than just comment there. (But please do visit Grandma's Briefs if you don't already.)

Without further ado, here are my:

10 Pivotal Pics

1. Grease (1978) -- I had no idea I could love a musical. Before this movie, I thought all musicals were in Technicolor with lots of old people dancing to songs that were oh-so boring.

2. and 3. Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986) (but not the others in the franchise) -- These movies have a tough chick as the main character, thrust into a situation beyond her control, totally kicking ass. They inspire me to be tough.

4. The Breakfast Club (1985) -- This movie helped me realize the "cool" kids don't have the answers either.

5. Say Anything (1989) -- Although pivotal, I'd have to say pivotal in a negative way. Why can't every man be Lloyd Dobler?

6. Chasing Amy (1997) -- This movie helped me get over a bad break up and made me fall in love with Jason Lee and help my friend write a song.

7. Dawn of the Dead (2004) -- In the past, movies about the undead gave me nightmares -- yes, even the silly ones. This movie kicked off a spree (for me) of zombie movies that helped me put that fear to rest.

8. Shaun of the Dead (2004) -- This one completely eliminated the fear and sealed my love for all things zombie.

9. Roman Holiday (1953) -- I'm embarrassed to say I saw this for the first time just a few short years ago. Suddenly, I wanted to be Audrey Hepburn. I wanted to be a princess in disguise flitting around Rome with Gregory Peck. The movie is fun and romantic and sad and really beautiful.

10. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) -- I saw this movie on PBS in 2002 or 2003. I didn't have cable so I watched what I could. This movie awoke my love for classic films. It's hilarious. Also, they don't make Hollywood movie stars like Cary Grant anymore.

Big Movie Night

Over the weekend, the S.O. and I watched two movies out on DVD right now. We don't go to the theater very much any more, mostly because I'm a curmudgeon who doesn't like crowds or talking during movies or crying babies or sticky floors. And I like to make my own popcorn and watch movies in my jammies.

We'd heard a lot of good things about both the movies we watched (on DVD because we're not that high-tech yet) . They weren't super hyped up, which can be the downfall of a movie. But they got good press and even received some awards. And they both definitely lived up to my high expectations of them.

The first one was "The Blind Side." Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for her role -- in case you missed that with all the news of her cheating husband -- and she, along with the rest of the cast really do turn in great performances.

It's heartwarming without being cloying, and kind of restores my faith in humans. And don't worry if you're not a huge football fan. Football plays second fiddle to the real story here.

The second movie we watched was "Fantastic Mr. Fox." I loved this movie for its unabashed playfulness.

Where "The Blind Side" was uplifting for it's rags-to-riches story and help-your-fellow-man message, "Fantastic Mr. Fox" is funny, laugh-out-loud, release-your-inner-child pure fun. George Clooney voices Mr. Fox, bringing all his old Hollywood type of charm to the character. Meryl Streep voices his wife, and Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Michael Gambon (Dumbledore!), Willem Dafoe and other lend their talent.

Based on the book by Roald Dahl, "Fantastic Mr. Fox" is fantastic, with talking wild animals (should I be bothered that all the mammals can talk, but the fowls are food?) who get themselves into crazy situations that are only partly due to their being wild animals.

These two movies, while wildly different, made a great double feature. Add in some homemade popcorn and the dog curled up on my lap and you really shouldn't wonder why I prefer my movie nights at home.

Big Picture Show

What I watched: "Penelope"

Every once in a while I am left to my own devices with the television. When that happens, I usually watch something I know the S.O. would scoff at or just wouldn't care about. Sometimes, it's a foreign film, sometimes a golden oldie.

This week, it was "Penelope," a film from 2006 that must have had zero publicity (because I'd never heard of it) and that I really enjoyed. It stars Christina Ricci and James McAvoy and it's a sweet little twist on "Beauty and the Beast."

Peter Dinklage is also in it as a rabid reporter, looking for a big scoop. And if you haven't seen Dinklage in "The Station Agent," stop reading right now and go to Blockbuster or Netflix and add it to the top of your queue immediately. I'll wait.

(Files nails, whistles ... ) Oh! You're back. Hi.

Is "Penelope" a romantic comedy? Maybe. I'd call it a fairy tale that appealed to even my cynical nature. It's romantic and sweet and cute. And you can probably guess the end before it comes, but none of that stopped me from smiling. And none of that stopped me from loving the characters I was supposed to love and hating the characters I was supposed to hate.

If you're going to spend 90 minutes watching something that's supposed to be romantic, that's supposed to make you laugh, that's supposed to make you root for the leading lady and man, you may as well spend it watching Christina Ricci and James McAvoy in "Penelope."

What I watched: "Julie & Julia"

I just finished watching "Julie & Julia." No, really, just five minutes ago, I finished watching the movie. And now, I don't know if I'm inspired to write or cook or crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head because I'm never going to get a book deal out of this blog!

The movie is cute and sweet and funny and inspiring but not cloying and has just a dash of spice. Meryl Streep is brilliant -- but how can you not love Meryl Streep -- as Julia Child. Stanley Tucci is her amazingly sweet and loving husband. Jane Lynch shows up in a small scene as Julia's sister and, as Jane Lynch is wont to do, steals my heart.

Amy Adams is Julie Powell, a government worker who takes on the challenge of cooking every single recipe in Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in one year -- and blogs about it. (The bitch gets a book deal and a movie out of it! Yes, of course I'm envious. Why didn't I think of that? Well, except for the fact that I know I could never boil a lobster alive or bone a duck. But I could write the hell out of reading about it! And I did make beef and barley soup for dinner tonight. Yes, I know it's not French. Shut up.)

I loved this movie. There's not much more I can say about it. I have no objective critiques. I just loved it. It made me happy. It was like a really great dinner, with a really great wine and really great friends.

What I watched: "Drag Me To Hell"

"Drag Me To Hell" is a prime example of what happens when a movie is built up by friends and critics: I was disappointed. If I hadn't had high expectations, I probably would have loved the movie. But with the build up and the hype, the movie fell flat for me. It didn't have enough humor and cheesiness, and the effects were too good for it to be a classic B movie. And even though I thought the ending was cool -- no spoilers -- I also thought it was kind of predictable.
That said, this is probably a movie I will watch again some day. And it is worth watching. Just don't pop it in the DVD player expecting one of the all-time great horror flicks. It was fun and offered up some good gross-out moments and laugh-0ut-loud scenes and even made me jump a few times. Still, it's not scary enough to compete with "Night of the Living Dead" or even "Jeepers Creepers" for straight-up horror and it doesn't begin to measure up to the likes of "Zombieland" or "Shaun of the Dead" for horror humor.

Maybe a cameo by Bruce Campbell (or *that guy* who made an appearance in "Zombieland") would have helped. And Justin Long didn't get have to die or get hit in the junk, so I guess that's something.

Thank you, Lisa

A few weeks ago, my good friend Lisa -- over at Grandma's Briefs -- posted a clip from "Joyeux Noel (Merry Christmas)." I promptly put it on my queue. Then waited, hoping to watch it for Christmas.

It arrived in the mail the day after Christmas, but it was still a perfect way to wrap up my holiday.

Based on actual events during World War I, "Joyeux Noel" tells the story of a spontaneous truce declared by Scottish, French and German troops in the trenches on Christmas Eve 1914.

Click over to Lisa's site to watch the video. Then immediately add it to your Netflix or Blockbuster queue. Even if you are a bit Grinchy about holidays, this movie just might make you believe in Christmas miracles. And if you have any interest in history, make sure you watch the interview with the film's maker.

Thanks for turning me on to this movie, Lisa. I loved it. Two thumbs up.

Seriously? Why?

Someone made what I thought was a joke on a site I was reading earlier. He said there's a Marmaduke movie in the works - you know Marmaduke, giant dog, terrorizes the neighbors, eats everything, one-panel "comic" strip that hasn't been funny since I was a child -- and probably wasn't actually funny then.

But it isn't a joke, people -- Look!

The worst part for me is that Lee Pace is going to be in it -- the Pie Maker, he of the beautiful eyebrows. Look, Lee, I already took Jason Lee off the list for "Underdog" and "Alvin and the F***ing Chipmunks." Now, you? After "Wonderfalls" and "Pushing Daisies," you've come to this?

Thanks a lot, Hollywood.

But wait. Maybe it'll be great. Maybe it'll be Oscar worthy. Yes, maybe. And maybe I'll win a Pulitzer Prize for this blog entry and they'll turn it into a movie. And the part of Pammeey will be played by Winona Ryder and Lee Pace will be played by Jake Gyllenhaal and the blog itself will be played by Jack Black.

Hey, I've seen worse.

I'm going to stick with kids' movies

Or just keep reading books.

Yeah, I know I should never hold out hope that a movie will live up to the book it's based on. But I still do ... sometimes. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" was great, right?

I wanted to see the movie version of "The Time Traveler's Wife." But based on this information, I won't. Happy ending? Bleh.

Thanks to the Internet, I won't waste my time. Oh, I'm sure the movie version may jerk a few tears, but they'll be sappy, happy tears -- tears of joy, even. And I don't appreciate a movie that tries to hijack my emotions. Eff you, movie version! I will stick with the book.

What I watched: "Star Trek"

After hearing really good things about the new Star Trek movie, from some reliable sources, the S.O. and I slipped out of "work" early to catch a matinee today. This isn't a review of the movie. I enjoyed it -- a lot, but not nearly as much as the guy who sat to my left (the S.O. was on my right). In fact, I'm not sure if anyone has ever enjoyed a movie quite as much as this late-40-something fanboy.

He was giggling like a schoolgirl from the moment Kirk appeared on screen until the credits rolled -- possibly beyond, but we left at that point.


This guy bounced in his seat. He pumped his fist and said, "Yesssss" whenever a line from the original series was spoken or something mildly cool happened. The only way he could have been geekier is if he'd come in costume and shouted, "I love you, Captain Kirk!" Seriously, he was like a pre-teen girl at a Jonas Brothers concert.

I could also hear him whispering to his friend -- which is normally annoying, but I was so fascinated by the geekitude, it didn't really bother me too much. I have to wonder if the friend was as giddy as my neighbor.

We probably should have waited for the end of the credits. Now that I'm thinking about it, I bet they gave each other the Vulcan sign and said, "Live long and prosper." That would have been awesome.

What I watched: "My Bodyguard"

The recent appearance of Scott Bakula on the season (and quite possibly the series) finale of "Chuck" set off a bout of nostalgia in me, prompting me to rent the film debut of "Chuck" cast member Adam Baldwin. He isn't one of the Baldwin brothers (Alec, Stephen, William), but you may recognize him as Jayne from "Firefly."

He debuted way back in 1980 as Ricky Linderman in the film "My Bodyguard" (not to be confused with "The Bodyguard," which I hated). The movie also features Chris Makepeace, a gangly and adorable Joan Cusack and budding teen heartthrob Matt Dillon.

Tormented by Moody (Dillon) and his group of bullies, Clifford (Makepeace) hires Linderman to be his bodyguard. Linderman, troubled and misunderstood, helps Clifford but doesn't want to be friends. In true buddy-film fashion, the two do become friends, along with a group of misfits that includes an uncredited Jennifer Beals.

Although there are predictable moments in the movie, it never becomes trite. It's sweet without becoming saccharine. And it's fun and funny without becoming cheesy. If they made it today, it would probably have to be an independent film in order to keep it the way it is. I hope no one decides it should be remade with Hayden Panettiere and Zac Efron.

If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. If you watched it long ago, watch it again. It holds up despite it being nearly 30 years old.

In short, I love this movie. It was a perfect way to end a stressful week.

Recommended for you

Amazon has a nifty little feature that recommends items for you based on your purchases, your ratings and things added to your Wish List. Sometimes it confuses me.

Today, my recommendations include a Korg GA-30 Ultra Compact Guitar and Bass Tuner, "because you purchased Planet Waves PW-GH Acoustic Guitar Humidifier," and "Animaniacs, Vol. 3," "because you purchased 'Pinky and the Brain, Vol. 1.'"

Those make sense.

But what about "There Will Be Blood"? I haven't seen it. I don't know much about the film. But does it really seem like a movie I might like because I rated "Lars and the Real Girl"? Or "3:10 to Yuma" because I rated "Stardust"?

I've seen both "Stardust" and "3:10 to Yuma" and I while I liked them both, I'm having a hard time thinking of their commonality? They're both about a rescue? Sort of. But then one is set in the old west, with lots of gun play. The other is about a fallen star, witches and finding true love. Oh, there's a battle there, too. So, maybe the battles?

Maybe there are actors or actresses common to these recommended movies (I haven't checked) but I don't think that necessarily means you'll like the western with this guy just because you liked the fantasy movie with that guy.

But my favorite today: "Battlestar Galactica - Razor" because I rated "Futurama - Bender's Big Score." Because, you know, they're both "sci-fi."

Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria

.
So, we're either headed for a disaster of biblical proportions* ... or my pets are just really lazy. I'm guessing it's the latter.

*I'm not giving any extra points for getting the reference, because everyone should know it!

Update: It turns out the S.O. didn't get the reference. I'm so disappointed.
.

What I watched: Tear jerker edition

An evening with the TV all to myself and I watched "Bridge to Terabithia" because I am apparently a glutton for punishment. I read the book as a kid but somehow only remember that I loved it, and it was the first book that made me cry. That last part is important, because how did I think the first book to ever make me cry would not produce a movie that would make me cry?

I can't even tell you if the movie was any good because the kids in it were so damn cute and the stupid movie made. me. cry. I pride myself on having a stiff upper lip when it comes to movies (books not so much -- "Cold Mountain" and "The Time Traveler's Wife" made me weep openly). I think because I don't like people seeing me cry (books are more private, thus the waterworks).

It's a kids' movie for goodness sake. And it was a kids' book. What the heck was Disney thinking? What the heck was Katherine Paterson thinking? They had to have known that I would find myself alone with my television on a Thursday night watching this movie and falling in love with its characters. They had to know that I loved this book as a kid and my nostalgia and my (somewhat morbid) sense of curiosity would make me watch it and that being alone when I did, I would cry.

I just have to remember to not watch movies like this alone. Had I watched it with someone else I might be able to offer a coherent critique rather than a rambling about how the movie was sweet and sad. Did I mention it made me cry?

Ear worm

I woke this morning with a song stuck in my head -- an insidious ear worm. It was "These Boot Were Made For Walking." It's probably one of the worst songs to get stuck in your head, on par with "It's a Small World."

On the plus side, it allows me to post this Boots Medley video from "Kinky Boots," a British movie we watched recently. IMDb users only give the film a 6.9 rating, but I really liked it. It's uplifting, fun and its ultimate lesson is delivered by drag queens in stilettos.



Fans of "Serenity" might recognize Chiwetel Ejiofor. (Now you have one more reason to love that movie.)

What I watched: "Bender's Game"

Fox may have canceled "Futurama" years ago, but the hilarious antics of Fry, Leela, Bender and the rest of the gang live on in feature length DVD movies. The latest one is "Bender's Game," a weird mix of Dungeons & Dragons, the Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.

I'll admit the humor in "Futurama" may not be for everyone, but I laughed out loud through most of the movie, because of lines like this:

"Oooh dreadfully real. If you die here you'll really be dead. But instead of science, we believe in crazy hocus-pocus. It's like Kansas."

If you're a fan of "The Simpsons" or "Futurama," this is definitely worth the price of a rental. If you're not a fan, I have to wonder why. "Futurama" has a foul-mouthed beer-swilling robot, an ass-kicking red hot cyclops chick and a slacker from the 20th century. What more could you want? Hermaphrodite centaurs? Dragon battles? Love triangles? Oh, yeah, this movie has them all. And more.

Check out the trailer: