[REC]

So what is this one about?
Well, I didn't really know what it was about when I rented it. I had seen ads for Quarantine and was interested in seeing it. Something about people being quarantined in a building in some city for some reason they didn't know. And I think it was about number 3 in my netflix queue.

Then brother Jack came and told me that the Cabinet of Dr. Calagari was rated number one in the horror movie section in the best of rotten tomatoes. He had said that he would have to rent CoDC and I told him he should. We then looked at the list to see what other movies I had seen. Jack asked if I had seen [REC]--which of course I hadn't. He then went and watched it and said it was awesome. So, I put it at the top of my queue. But I still didn't really know what it was about.

After seeing the movie, and then reading what netflix says, I am glad I didn't know before I watched it. It made the movie was more scary that way. And thus, I will not give you the official description. But, if you are curious, it is easy to find. But you should watch it without knowing what it is about. That is my recommendation.

And how much did I pay to watch?
$1.88 from the netflix. And if I could find this at Target (which will like never happen because it is foreign--Spanish) I would buy it in .09 seconds.

And what did I think?
Hot damn! This one totally deserves to be on the best of in the horror movie section. (I am also 100% glad that The Descent is in the best of list too. In fact, these two films remind me of each other and were scary in the same way). It is one of the few movies I have seen in the past 5 years or so that were so scary that I involuntarily covered my eyes with my hands or actually wanted to turn the movie off! Now, I know some people don't like to be scared, but by god I love it! But sometimes when I am watching these movies alone in my room at night, I want to turn a real scary one off so I don't have nightmares, because I know I very well could.

The movie started out slowly, as if to lull you into a very false sense of security, then it starts to pick up speed and you begin to feel uneasy, then it sucker punches you in the gut and maintains that intensity until the end where you feel so uneasy that you may think of just turning the whole thing off until morning. And the sucker punch scene I alluded to? It was so gd scary and unexpected that I literally had to catch my breath once it had happened. And at the end, I really did consider turning it off. I didn't want to watch it because i was really that scared that i wouldn't be able to sleep.

All of this just cements the fact that it is one of the best horror movies I have seen.

So what is the rating? (out of 10)
Rent it. Well, rent it only if you like horror movies. If you like horror movies, rent it. Immediately.

10.

Gossip Girl: Season 1

So what is this one about?
Lori told me I had to watch this. Seeing as she is my bff, and knows the type of crappy crap that I like to watch, I had to trust her on it. I didn't really know much about GG, but netflix told me,

"When former queen bee Serena (Blake Lively) returns to New York's Upper East Side from a stint at boarding school, her old friend Blair (Leighton Meester) fears she'll lose all of the status and popularity she gained during Serena's absence. The once-close friends become bitter rivals, and their struggles for power are broadcast to the entire school thanks to Gossip Girl's blog, which always has the scoop on the juiciest info."

HUZZAH!

And how much did I pay to watch?
Well, there are 5 discs in the season, and at the time I was averaging $1.88/disc. So, times 5= $9.44. Then I went to Target and say that the season 1 set was on sale for $18.99. HOLY CRAP! From like $42.99 to $18.99?! How could I not??

And what did I think?
Well, like I said, I never thought about watching this show. Sometimes in the fashion magazines I read I see that they reference the show and I never knew what the hell they are talking about. Thanks to Lori and her prodding, I found one of the greatest shows on tv. (Notice I didn't say best, or classiest, or smartest...just greatest) It is also one of the most dangerous because it makes me want to buy beautiful clothes and excessive amounts of headbands.

Ok, so, like I've said before, sometimes I feel like I am regressing. I have gone from watching smart shows (well, I don't know that I ever stopped watching "smart" shows...Law and Order, Mad Men) to a LOT of teen shows (Secret Life of the American Teenager, Gossip Girl, Degrassi). I said this already. The thing is, they are just more fun! They take a lot less focus and energy, they are always filled with hot hot hot young people, and the story lines are usually scandalous and full of intrigue. And Gossip Girl is no different.

The cast is stupid good looking--Nate especially. Well, I take it back, I think Vanessa is weird looking. The clothes are amazing--like most other females who watch this show, I think Blair has become my fashion idol. The characters are complete caricatures of real people. Dan is "poor", Vanessa is "arty", Jenny is the "social climber", Blair is the "queen bee" but these people do not exist in real life. Well, at least I cannot imagine them existing in real life. Many of them are too horrible to actually exist in real life. Though, we've all seen NYC Prep and do know that they exist a little.

The Michelle Trachtenberg character is the worst thing ever. I thought Chuck Bass was a total rapist in the first few episodes, but he wasn't. In fact, I am totally in love with him. He reminds me so much of a boy I used to know who was horrible, just one of the worst ever, but so sexy and appealing and all that. Hot damn. So, I like watching Chuck Bass because he reminds me of him. Chuck and Blair are like the best thing ever. They are totally the new Jim and Pam.

The thing I like most about this show is that it really pulls you in. I would be at work thinking about getting home so I could watch more GG. You get caught up in the silly, ludicrous, simple-minded plot lines. And when things happened in the plot that were supposed to be dramatic I would react exactly like they wanted me to. I would be like "Holy Crap!" or "Oh no she didn't!" It was really great. Great fun!

So what is the rating? (out of 10)
You may think you are too cool for Gossip Girl, just like you think you are too cool to read Harry Potter. If you don't think you're too cool for that, then I would 100% recommend Gossip Girl. And if you know the men from my life, you'll have to tell me who you think Chuck Bass reminds me of ;)

I give it a 10!

Gigantic

So what is this one about?
Netflix tells us,

"Unhappy with his life, mattress salesman Brian Weathersby (Paul Dano) pursues his lifelong obsession with adopting an infant from China. But when attractive customer Harriet (Zooey Deschanel) catches his eye, he starts pursuing her instead. Soon, Harriet's overbearing father (John Goodman) and Brian's parents (Ed Asner and Jane Alexander) become involved in their relationship, pushing Brian to take drastic action in this quirky romantic comedy.

And how much did I pay to watch?
Well, I watched it via netflix rental during one of my quick turn over periods--meaning I was watching movies quite quickly (unlike now when I've have the same dvds checked out for maybe over a month...jeeze) so I bet it was a few dollars.

And what did I think?
You know what I hate? I think Zooey is sort of annoying. I believe that I have said this before. (see 500 Days of Summer review, my opinion of her continues to be spot on in relation to this movie...) For one thing, her character's name is Happy. Yep, not a joke. She acts "quirky" and hot and yanks Paul Dano around in this movie. Classic Zooey moments? When she and Paul were waiting in the reception area of a doctors office while her dad (John Goodman) was seeing his chiropractor. She had basically made Paul drive them to the Dr's office. She asks him what he is reading. He tells her. He asks what she is reading, she says "mostly ads" then proceeds to describe one to him. After that she leans into him and asks "do you have any interest in having sex with me?" He replies, "mmmmhmm" and she says, "now?" and he says "mmmmhmmm."

Who does that Zooey think she is? She can just go anywhere and pick up a guy? Guys just fall at her feet? Haarrumph to her. And what is she always so moody about?!? She's gorgeous and guys are always falling in love with her. She needs to just get over it and start to be more cheery!

The movie was pretty quirky. I watched a large portion of it with a look of complete confusion on my face. It was just pretty bizarre. However, it was pretty funny at times. I had a huge lol moment during it, which I will not describe in case you'd like to watch it. And you know what? I love John Goodman. I think he is great. And does Paul Dano always need to look so emo? Get that kid some candy! He looks so depressed all the time!

So what is the rating? (out of 10)
I really liked my review on Netflix--I tend to do my two cents reviews way before I write them down--I wish this weren't the case. I said, "This was the strangest but most earnest film I have seen in a long time. It made me truly, truly smile." This is the type of movie that I would purchase on dvd, so again, if you see it in the $10 section at target, please let me know.

I give this one an 8.5.

Two Lovers

So what is this one about?
Netflix tells us,

"After his engagement falls through, Leonard Kraditor (Joaquin Phoenix) juggles the affections of Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), his beautiful, self-destructive neighbor, and Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), the attractive, sensible daughter of his father's business associate. Writer-director James Gray's beautifully nuanced romantic drama is set in Brooklyn and also stars Elias Koteas. The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival."

tah freaking dah!

And how much did I pay to watch?
Nerfffffffin. I watched this bad boy on netflix's view it now option. Well, I guess I did pay something, because if I didn't have my flix subscription then I wouldn't be eligible to watch this, but lets just ignore that for this moment.

And what did I think?
What I thought was that I loved that there were no value judgements from the director. In a story that is sort of complex like this one, with complex and damaged characters, it was SO entirely refreshing that the director or writer didn't write any of the characters as "the bad guy". There were really repugnant things about all the characters, really sad things about all the characters, and endearing things about all the characters. It left the action of judging who was good and who was bad and who deserved what to the audience. And it was likewise refreshing that the filmmakers thought the audience would be smart enough to decide who they liked and who they didn't. Filmmakers don't seem to give audiences enough credit these days.

In the same vein of this being complex, as a viewer it was hard for me to pick who I liked and who I didn't. I think that is quite an accomplishment. Usually I pick someone in a film I like--usually someone I can relate to for some reason--but I couldn't pick anyone. I just felt sorry for everyone. Sorrier for some, but I felt sorry for all of them. They were just so damaged.

The film also took place in Brighton Beach, so there were tons of Russians and other Eastern Europeans, and the weather was so overcast and depressing--the settings really seemed to match the story. I assume that was done deliberately. I give the production team a lot of credit on this one.

So what is the rating? (out of 10)
I think you should watch this. Sometimes I think that my opinions on film are sort of bizarrely skewed--I don't know why. But I thought this one was really good. It isn't the type of film I would buy and watch over and over, but I thought it was really good. Nuanced. (I love that word).

I gave it a 4 on Netflix, so I will give it an 8 here.

District 9

There are a lot of secrets in District 9

So what is this one about?
Netflix tells us,

When aliens land on Earth, global business conglomerate Multi-National United forces them into rigid containment zones where they are compelled to labor, even as MNU commandeers their otherworldly technology for profit. As tensions build between human and non-human races, a rogue agent leads a resistance movement against MNU's ruthless consolidation of power. Neill Blomkamp directs this cinema verité-style sci-fi thriller.

And how much did I pay to watch?
Well, here is the thing. I saw this movie twice. Twice in the theatre. I paid for this movie twice! That like never, ever, happens anymore. It wasn't that it was so amazing I wanted to see it again--and it was that amazing-- my Ukrainian host sister wanted to see it, so I went to see it again. The second time it was $11, and I bet the first time it was $9 or so, so I'm guessing I paid about $20. DANG.

And what did I think?
Ok, so for one thing this took place in South Africa, so the accents were fabulously amazing. I love South African accents. They are weird like New Zealand accents, but pretty like Australian ones! I even had a South African professor in grad school--it took me forever to figure out where her accent was from. Bettina von Lieres--you can even look her up! And look at those crazy SA names! Like Wikus van der Merwe (pronounced Vikkus van der Murvah).

So, it def had the accents and location going for it. Also going for it was that the idea was so entirely fresh. I mean, when you think about it initally, you know that there is a large tendency for the treatment of this subject to be trite. And in some ways it was. I mean, it is pretty much what you expect in that the immigrants (aliens) are shunned and forced to leave--you know, just like immigration in a lot of places--and that "mixing" is totally looked down on (like it was back in the day), and that "its ok to have immigrants, just not where we live" attitude, and the whole immigrants live in slums and bring crime (like in The Jungle)...exxxxxxcept these immigrants aren't people, but aliens! Like from another planet!! I mean, who thinks of things like that?! Awesome!

The aliens were pretty fresh looking too. I mean, who has ever seen aliens that look like that? They also had eyes like Wall-E so they were very sincere looking. But, I suppose that is what you would expect, because the entire movie took place in 2010! in the future!!!!!

So what is the rating? (out of 10)
Here is the thing, like I said, I haven't seen a movie more than once in the theatre in like forever. The fact that I saw this one indicates I like it a lot. So much in fact that I could easily purchase this movie once it hits the under $10 section at Target. (What a glowing endorsement, right?)

So, I think I'd give it an 8. Or maybe a 9. Well, lets just settle for 8.5.