Netflix Tuesday

OK it's not Tuesday anymore but the first movie on my list zapped my will to live last night and I had to sleep it off.

Based on word of mouth from people I respect, it seems that I may need to go out and see Inception. Actually, it seems I need to go see it twice. The worst opinion I've heard is that it was OK but for the most part the word is that it is outstanding.

In the mean time I've been busy knocking out movies on Netflix. I'll keep it simple and just rate the movies See and Don't See.

Whip It - Don't See - After seeing the documentary Blood on the Flat Track, I was pumped to see this movie. It failed to deliver on those expectations. My first mistake was not noticing that Drew Barrymore was the director. I wouldn't trust her to direct my kids birthday party video, much less a major motion picture.

Ellen Page. I've liked her less and less in every performance since Juno. Even with Juno, I thought Thora Birch did a better job with that character in Ghost World. Watching Page skate is brutal. It is obvious she lacks any coordination and is completely unbelievable as the fastest girl on the track. As far as her acting, she gives her typical "I'm too cool for my surroundings" performance or as I like to call it a Bizarro Cera. I'm not sure what she's going to to once she's too old to play angsty teenagers and twenty somethings. But I also don't care.

Jimmy Fallon. Note to producers and casting directors everywhere. Jimmy Fallon has never made a movie better. Don't believe me. I challenge you to try to make it through all the movies on his IMDB resume.

I can't completely kill the casting though. It was great to see Alia Shawkat (Maeby Funke) all grown up. Has Marcia Gay Harden ever given a bad performance? Kristen Wiig is always a treat but she should fire whoever is recommending scripts to her.

Ultimately, the story is weak even for a girl power/chick flick. The love story is underdeveloped and beyond pointless. I'm pretty sure it was added just because someone had an idea to shoot an underwater love scene. If you want to see a great movie about roller derby watch "Blood on the Flat Track." Leave this POS on the shelf.

Green Street Hooligans - See - Here's a tip for everyone. Say you're wondering whether you should watch a certain movie or TV show. If you look through the cast credits and see someone from The Wire or Band of Brothers on the list, it's usually a pretty good bet it's worth a view. I was glad to see this movie had both Liebgot and Blithe from Band of Brothers in it. Unlike the previous movie, I went into this movie with little to no expectations. In fact, I had moved it down my queue a few times because I had Elijah Woods face and some genius decided to put it right there on the cover for this film.

The story follows Matt (Wood) a Journalism major who has been recently kicked out of Harvard. Matt travels to England to live with his sister and try to escape the wrath of his absentee journalist father. Matt is quickly swept up in the soccer hooligan scene that is destined to threaten and change his life forever.

I loved this movie. This is how you use a quality cast to tell a great story. A cast that includes Charlie Hunnam (Jax from Sons of Anarchy) as the leader of the Green Street Elite firm and Claire Forlani, whom I've had a thing for ever since she was dumping T.S. before he could propose too her at Universal Studios just before Jaws pops out of the water. If you're looking for something to watch definitely give this one a view.

The Boys From Brazil - See - I watched this as part of the 70's classics series I'm doing right now. @steveintheKT recommended this one to me and it did not disappoint.

Mystery Team - See? - Only see this if you're a fan of Troy from Community. Donald Glover plays a character very similar to Troy. But it's as if instead of playing football, Troy hung out with his equally naive, geeky friends and solved neighborhood mysteries. The movie isn't very good but has some very funny scenes. So I'd only recommend it to hard core Community fans and people like me that will watch just about anything with Aubrey Plaza.

Adam - Don't See - Poor overdone performances.

A Serious Man - Don't See - The Coen Brothers turd in a pile of gems.

Papillon - See - Another on the 70's classics list. Steve McQueen. Enough Said.

A Single Man - See - Great. Great performance by Colin Firth.

Bass Ackwards - See - Nice little indie flick.

The Most Dangerous Man in America - See - Good documentary with lots of archive footage about the man that leaked the Pentagon Papers.


Next week I'm going to try to get on on a mid week schedule of Netflix Tuesdays, Weightloss Wednesdays and My DVR Thursdays.