Reconstructing the netflix lists

So, where as Netflix did away with lists where I had numerous movies saved as a reminder of future movies to watch; and where as they only allow 500 movies for a queue; and where as I can keep adding to this with no (or at least little) fear that it will be deleted without my knowledge and/or approval, a movies to rent list...

1492:The Conquest of Paradise
The Caveman's Valentine (Sign of the Killer)
The Black Dahlia
Kalifornia
Don McKay
......

9/6/2010

Hobo with a Shotgun

The Grey (Liam Neeson)

Ceremony (Michael Angarano, Reece Thompson, Lee Pace & Uma Thurman)

Leaves of Grass (Edward Norton)

Shark Night 3D (Joel David Moore, Chris Carmack, Sinqua Walls, and Alyssa Diaz)

Arthur (Russell Brand, Arthur stars Helen Mirren, Greta Gerwig, Luis Guzmán, Nick Nolte and Jennifer Garner)

Barney's Version (Dustin Hoffman, Bruce Greenwood, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, Rachelle Lefevre, Scott Speedman and Saul Rubinek)

Drive (Albert Brooks, Carey Mulligan,Bryan Cranston, Ryan Gosling)

Welcome to People

Skinny Dip (Michelle Rodriguez, Danny Trejo)

Underground

Untitled cop film (Bradley Cooper, Ryan Renyolds)

Red Hill ( Ryan Kwanten )

A Horrible Way to Die

The Butcher, The Chef and The Swordsman

Repeaters

they did it

Netflix has completely removed the "Friends" feature...and also the "Lists" feature...which means all those movies that I wanted to watch, but couldn't fit into the queue (so I put them into lists) are gone. Thanks a lot Netflix!

8/28/2010

The Raven (John Cusack)

The Three Muskateers (Orlando Bloom, Christoph Waltz, Matthew MacFadyen, Ray Stevenson, Luke Evans, Milla Jovovich, Mads Mikkelsen, Logan Lerman)

A Boyfriend for My Wife (Steve Carell )

Jack and Jill (Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes, and Al Pacino)

Red Nights -- English translation(Carrie Ng, and Frédérique Bel)

Drift(Sam Worthington)

Tamara Drewe (Gemma Arterton)

8/22/2010

Violet and Daisy (Danny Trejo and Bruce Willis?)

Case 39 (Renée Zellweger, Bradley Cooper, Ian McShane, Jodelle Ferland)

Dracula Year Zero (Sam Worthington)

Bunraku (Josh Hartnett, Demi Moore, Ron Perlman, Woody Harrelson, Kevin McKidd)

Safe House (Ryan Reynolds, Denzel Washington)

Everything Must Go (Will Ferrell)

True Grit (Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper)

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (Brandon Routh, Taye Diggs)

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead)

The Woman in Black (Daniel Radcliffe)

Movies 8/13/10

Hatter (Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn)

Burlesque (Christina Aguilera, Cher, Alan Cumming)

Highwater (Kelly Slater, Rochelle Ballard, Andy Irons (II), John John Florence, Sunny Garcia (II))

Mao's Last Dancer (Amanda Schull, Kyle MacLachlan, Bruce Greenwood, Jack Thompson, Aden Young)

Vampires Suck (yep it's a parody, yep it makes fun of Twilight)

Due Date (Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Jamie Foxx)

The Tempest (Helen Mirren, Alfred Molina, Russell Brand, Alan Cumming, Djimon Hounsou, Chris Cooper, David Strathairn and Ben Whishaw)

A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop

How Do You Know (Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Jack Nicholson, and Owen Wilson)

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

The Mechanic (Jason Statham and Ben Foster)

Centurion

127 Hours (James Franco as climber Aron Ralston)

The Winning Season (Sam Rockwell, Emma Roberts and Rob Corddry)

My Soul to Take (Wes Craven--Max Thieriot, Zena Grey)

Butter (Jennifer Garner, Yara Shahidi, Alicia Silverstone, Rob Corddry and Ashley Greene, Hugh Jackman)

The Romantics (Katie Holmes, Anna Paquin, Josh Duhamel, Malin Akerman, Adam Brody and Elijah Wood)

Lock Out (Maggie Grace, Guy Pearce)

The Avengers (name an actor...they are probably in it)

The Next Three Days (Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson and Olivia Wilde)

I Spit on your Grave ( Sarah Butler)

Movies

Unstoppable (Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson)

Burlesque(Cher, Christina Aguilera)

On the Road (Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund,Kristen Stewart and Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortenson and Amy Adams)

Casa De Mi Padre (Will Ferrell)

Heartbreaker (Romain Duris and Vanessa Paradis)

Catfish

Priest (Paul Bettany)

Movie reviews

Daybreakers
Starring: Ethan Hawk,Willem Dafoe,Sam Neill
Directors:Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig

A different take on the vampire genre. What happens when everyone is a vampire and there are very few humans left? This is an interesting idea...puts a different notion behind the idea of hunting for humans. Prosthetics were cool--in particular the "transformation" that takes place when the vampire is not getting enough blood. Lots of humor that is almost lost. Sam Neill is a great bad guy and Willem Dafoe plays his "usual" character. There are a lot of political undertones here, and the theme of a "concentration camp" should come to mind. The ending of the movie was a little hard to grasp--it makes sense, but it was a bit over the top (not surprising from previous directors of a zombie movie). Pretty much sets itself up for a sequel if it wants one.

3.25





The Proposal
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Betty White, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson
Directed by: Anne Fletcher

Cute. Betty White steals the show in almost every scene. Other than that, average chick flick with a formula we have seen a number of other times--couple doesn't like each other, couple is thrown together in (description of peril here), couple winds up falling in love. Kuddos to Sandra Bullock for wearing the wash cloth.

3.75

More upcoming

Megamind (Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt)
Pretty Boy Floyd
Rango (Johnny Depp)
Ion (Channing Tatum)
The Boys (A-Teamesque movie)
Valhalla Rising (Mads Mikkelsen)
Tomorrow: When the War Began (Rachel Hurd-Wood, Phoebe Tonkin, Caitlin Stasey and Lincoln Lew)
Guns, Girls & Gambling (Christian Slater, Gary Oldman, Dane Cook)
Legends (based on "fairytales")
Blood of the Innocent
Van Helsing (G. del Torro directing)
Now You See Me (illusionist bank heist "er")
Most Wanted (Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds)
Fangland (Hillary Swank)
Thirteen Assassins

7/24/10 movie list

Drive Angry 3D (Nicolas Cage)[Nic Cage playing, well, Nic Cage]
Sucker Punch (Emily Browning)

More movies to watch for

Red (Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Mary-Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Karl Urban and Richard Dreyfuss)

Black Swan (Natalie Portman, Winona Ryder)

The Goon (animated-- Clancy Brown, Paul Giamatti)

Faster (Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thorton)

Jack and Dianne (Juno Temple, Riley Keough,Kylie Minogue)

The Legend of Cain (Will Smith)

Tangled (animated--Mandy Moore, David Schwimmer)

Upcoming--some a lot closer than others...

Showtime (Robert DeNiro and Eddie Murphy)
The Adjustment Bureau (Matt Damon, Emily Blunt)
The Killer Elite (Jason Statham)
Arabian Nights (remake: Anthony Hopkins)
Waiting for Superman (Documentary about the((lack of the))American Education system)
Machete (Danny Trejo, Robert DeNiro, Steven Segall, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Don Johnson)
War Horse
You Again (Bette White, Jamey Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver)
The Conspirator (Robin Wright, James McAvoy)
Hatfield's and McCoys ?
Don Quixote ?
Hobo with a Shotgun (Rutger Hauer)
Genghis Khan (Mickey Rourke)
Ninety?
Rio Malo (Bobcat Goldthwait ?)
Hanna (Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett,Eric Bana)
Oz The Great And Powerful?
Treasure Island ?
Reign of Assassins (Michelle Yeoh and Jung Woo-sung)
Get Low (Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Lucas Black,Sissy Spacek)
Aftershocks (?)
Ondine (Collin Farrell, Alicja Bachleda)
Deathsport (Samuel Jackson? , Kellan Lutz ?)
Danger Girl ?
Malice in Wonderland (Maggie Grace)
The Other Guys (Will Ferrell,Mark Wahlberg Sam Jackson,Dwayne Johnson)
Pig Scrolls?
The Kids are All Right (Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Annette Bening, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson)
Io Sono L'amore aka I am Love (Tilda Swinton)
Dark Life ?
Runaways?
Violet and Daisy? (Carey Mulligan, Saoirse Ronan)
Dawn of War/War of the Gods (Luke Evans)
Tomorrow: When the War Began
Wolves?
Paper Wings ? (Tom Cruise, Reese Witherspoon)
Maleficent ?

Neflix screwed something up movie list

Other than the title of the post, is more explanation needed?

Breakheart Pass
Aspen Extreme
The Lost Empire
To Brave Alaska

Random List: Comedians

Jim Gaffigin
Eddie Izzard
Ellen DeGeneres
Suzanne Westenhoefer

Movie list 3/20

Coming soon

How to Train your Dragon March 26
Clash of the Titans April 2
The Losers April 23

Farther out ...

Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Megamind
Nordwand aka North Face
Harry Brown
Chloe

Still Farther out...

Godspeed (2009)
The Tourist 2011 (Angelina Jolie/Johnny Depp)
Burke and Hare 2010 (Isla Fisher/Simon Pegg/Tim Curry)
Henry's Crime 2010(Keanu Reeves/James Caan/Vera Farmiga)

Alice in Wonderland

STARRING: Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover
DIRECTED BY: Tim Burton

HOLY COW!

I love Alice in Wonderland--always have. I have been excited about this since I first heard about it. I did not opt to see this in 3-D and I was glad that didn't as I honestly think I would have been nauseous the entire time due to sensory overload (and the person that I saw it with said the exact same thing).

With Tim Burton at the helm, obviously this is not the saccharine sweet Disneyfied animated version that a lot of people grew up on. It is dark. The Alice stories are dark. It is disturbing. The Alice stories are disturbing. It is a wild mind altering force. You get the picture.

The images are beautiful. Flower heads, dragon flies, rocking horse flies, the small things that we loved about the cartoon are worked into the movie. There are certain movies that require computer assistance, and this is one of them, and it is done well.

The characters are as zany and mad as they are in the original. Depp is on the top of his game as usual. Hathaway and Bonham Carter are the essence of their characters. The mythical characters are well done.

Alice, somewhat grown up now, evades a boorish dilemma by following a white rabbit and once again finds herself in Wunderland (or rather Underland--the "W" is apparently silent). The Red Queen has taken over and things are relatively miserable. A champion is needed, a battle ensues, and things kinda get boring after that, but the movie is also almost over.

The movie is true to the story we are familiar with in a lot of ways. There are some new elements thrown in, obviously. This is not necessarily a movie for young children, but older kids will probably really like it. There is also an interesting Wizard of Oz type parallel that works. The movie does not set itself up for sequels, interestingly enough. Although there is a weird chemistry between Alice and the Mad Hatter, which could spawn spawn, I mean sequels.

5 stars

Quieter Comings Movie List

A lot of the following titles will likely not be blockbusters. Most of them will probably fly under the radar. But they do look interesting and hopefully won't get lost in the "3-D, everything must be an epic story, blockbuster frenzy" of the coming year:

Serpent and the Sun: Tales of an Aztec Apprentice (2009)
Barbe Bleue (2009) aka Bluebeard
Tau ming chong (2007) aka The Warlords
Chloe (2010)
Män som hatar kvinnor (2009) aka The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Leaves of Grass (2009)
I Love You Phillip Morris (2009)
Eat, Pray, Love (2010)
The American (2010)
The Eagle of the Ninth (2010)
Let Me In (2010)
Alpha and Omega (2010)
Priest (2011)

The Wolfman (movie review)

STARRING: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving
DIRECTED BY: Joe Johnston

In the depths of my memories of high school and college, I recall learning about Gothic style; the standard elements that function together to create the mood. If the past and present could be mixed together, the examples for Gothic style would have to include this movie.

It was not a super film, but it was good. Benicio Del Toro (Lawrence Talbot) and Anthony Hopkins (Sir John Talbot) are excellent as a son and father (respectively) who have clearly had little in common for a very long time and now are plagued by the same curse. The opening credits create the mood for the story and the rest of the film--blood red words against a shadowy, almost black and white forest of leafless trees. From that forest to estate near Blackmoor to the village itself, each location creates an eerie feeling. This is a dark film with quite a bit of gore, but not any more than what I expected given this is a werewolf film. I was quite pleased to see there was not an overload of CGI work, and the effects and transformation seemed to be largely the product of prosthesis. The setwork, pieces, and costumes all work well to convey the feeling of Victorian England. It is a just retelling of the story.

4 of 5 stars

They did a bad, bad thing...

So, admitedly, I am a subscriber of Netflix. Have been for about 5 years now. When you live in a place where it is almost impossible to get TV (though that is changed now), and the closest movie theater is about 30 miles away, a service where dvds come to you is a great thing.

However, changing what works is not. Netflix is notorious for doing this. They have made it harder and harder to be part of a "community." Granted, I can just pick the movies that I like, put them in the queue and wait for them to come, this is not all I want to do. I am one that tends to forget things unless they are written down right in front of me. Lists are one of the features that makes Netflix great. Or were. Yep, they "updated" the movie pages, so that you can no longer add a movie directly from the page, but have to go to the list and make sure that you haven't already put it on there, and then add it in. This increases the chance that you will add the wrong movie of the same or a similar title to the list. They have also made it more difficult to look at what your friends are doing, watching, recommending, etc. You have to search out the "Friends" link, which is now buried at the bottom of the page. This is so they can make "instant viewing" more accessible. Some of us have "high-speed dial up" and can't use that feature anyway, so I don't care to see anything about it on the main page.

The need to fix something that isn't broken, doesn't make sense to me. So, since they have done this, lists of movies may potentially wind up here from time to time. Just a warning...

It will also be beneficial, as if it is too far out, it is not listed on Netflix at all, so it will be a way to keep track of the movies that are still in planning or production.

PBR loves JB

I must admit I am a bit behind on actually watching the PBR, but thankfully DVR is letting me keep up with them when I get the chance. That being said, I do check on the website fairly regularly in the hopes that someone has climbed to the top of the leader board ahead of JB Mauney. Looking at the website and the comments, I can tell I am not the only one that feels this way.

Bull riders can be cocky--I get that, I do. I have known some personally. And they need to have that formula of confidence, attitude, and perseverance. Getting on the back of a huge beast that just wants you off and don't care how, you have to have some kind of gumption. Confidence is a great thing. Arrogance is not. Throwing a temper tantrum when you don't ride or get called for a slap or don't get the ride you thought you should is very immature. So is being in it for the money. Mauney RARELY misses the opportunity to talk about money in an interview during a PBR event. We get it JB, you're greedy. Great.

But he has stayed up at the top, so he must be great right? Nope, unfortunately there is another formula involved and JB has got it figured out. The PBR has instituted a draft, where there used to be a draw. As long as a person is high enough on the leader board at the end of a round, they have the opportunity to pick a bull sooner in the draft. If you are towards the end of the round, the judges can look at who is ahead of you and score you or the bull just high enough to get above that other person. That means that you can be a judge's favorite, have a crappy ride, and still come out on top of the leader board. Call it a conspiracy theory if you want, but as sloppy as JB rides, and as many times as he "slaps" a bull (usually an instant disqualification), and he is still ahead on the leader board? The cow **** isn't the only thing that stinks at the PBR. He has also figured out what bull he can ride. And that would be "Troubador." As of January 17, Mauney has ridden the bull 5 times. Picking a bull you know you can ride when you are at the top of the draft doesn't indicate greatness, it indicates laziness. Stock contractor Don Kish even went so far as to call JB a coward for not picking his bull "Necessary Evil." In January JB literally hung on to the side of the bull "Code Blue" and was given a score of 76.25, yes given. Anyone else would have gotten DQd. But by golly, since it was JB, HE RODE!

Just as JB loves to talk about the money, even stating something to the effect of "won a butt load" in an interview, he doesn't often say a lot about the bulls. Unless of course they help him to win. In an event last year, he even blamed the bull (and its "floppy horn")for his slap and disqualification. To me, a great bull rider talks about the bull, win or loose, as a number of other bull riders do. They also take the opportunity to get on different ones, not the same "moneymaker" over and over again.

Unfortunately, JB will likely win the 2010 World Championship. It won't be singularly by his own accord, but with the "help" of others. Not that we haven't seen that before in the PBR as well.

Sherlock Holmes (movie review)

STARRING: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan
DIRECTED BY: Guy Ritchie

Overall liked it. Nothing super fantastic, but quite enjoyable. The costumes and props and set work protrayed the time period very well. The characters were believable-- I like Robert Downey Jr. much better as a detective than a super hero, much more believable. There is a comedic element, I know there were times when I was the only one in the theatre laughing (don't know if that says more about me or the rest of the audience). Also present is the idea of a supernatural thiller, love affairs (for both men), and the ever present underlying "buddy" theme--two individuals making one unit that is utterly incomplete without both parts.

Appologize as this was written sometime after I actually saw the movie, so there is not a lot that has stuck (which clearly says something). Entertaining though.

New favorite thing

Last winter, around Christmas time, I came across a gift idea called Glassybaby. Pretty little multi-colored hand blown glass votives, the "baby" of Lee Rhodes, lung cancer survivor. I immediately tried to visit the website: www.glassybaby.com - only to get the ominous, "this site is blocked message" as it was classified as a gaming site....WHAT? So, with this in the back of my mind through my "winter vacation," I visited the site on another computer (read faster speed internet).

WOW! No really...WOW!!! Remember what it was like to open a new box of crayons at the beginning of the school year? Recall seeing a cluster of Easter Eggs arranged in no particular order, but still artistically in your childhood Easter Basket? Think about the thrill of seeing a mixed bag of jelly beans, all the colors coming together to make a sugary mosaic of bliss... Okay, so maybe that last one was just me, but these are the feelings recreated by the rainbow of colors available. It was one of those cases, HAVE TO HAVE ONE!!! But oh, which one to choose?

Not a surprise to anyone who might know me, I chose a "watery" color called Cabo, an opaque light teal/turquoise blue--along with visiting the ocean for the first time and going to, yep you guessed it Cabo San Lucas, I figured that was the most appropriate. Ordered it, went on the trip, loved the trip, and waited for the votive to arrive. And waited. And waited. A misunderstanding of address was quickly resolved after I contacted them, and within days, my first "baby" arrived, safe and sound and beautiful. In the mean time, I had contacted the people who decide what websites we can and cannot view and why, and they quickly reclassified the site, and made it available.

One of the great things about glassybaby is that besides the beauty, the background, and the energy they posses, is the fact that a number of colors and a percentage of all sales go to cancer research or other charitable organizations.

So, I have gone back to the site, again and again and again. I have since ordered two more singles-- Studio 54, a transparent dark teal green, and Lady Di, a gorgeously regal transparent sapphire blue. AND a Valentine's Day/Easter/Birthday/Christmas/yougetthepicture gift for myself that consists of the "12 month club," one votive a month for 12 months. The first glassybaby of the month to arrive was Pearl, a rich opaque white, with hints of iridescency, true to its namesake. Seasonal colors are available--this month, the month of "love," many of the offerings are various shades and tones of red. With spring on the way, more colors are popping up that are similar to the flowers or animals they are named after.

The price might deter some, but please remember these are HANDMADE IN THE USA!!! And don't forget, the company does donate proceeds to various organizations. Still not convinced...they also have a "seconds sale" twice a year....
http://www.glassybaby.com/

Coming to its senses?

Has the rest of the world started to figure out Taylor Swift can't sing? From her "performances" at the various "awards" shows, the number of hits for "Taylor Swift can't sing" is growing steadily. I heard Tim McGraw on the radio this morning. Usually I turn off the radio, turn the TV to a different channel, etc when one of her songs comes on. It struck me this morning that Tim McGraw (her first release) actually sounds better than Fearless, her most recent release...aren't people supposed to get better as they practice and hone their talent? She can write, she just can't sing.