Netflix is now smart enough that if you have discs from a TV series in your dvd queue, and one of the dvds in the series isn't available right now, it jumps the entire series and goes to the first available item that is not part of the series ( Read more... )

Weirdness ( Read more... )

Friday night I watched the 1934 Tarzan and His Mate with some friends. I wanted to see it for its social/political significance. What significance? It contains an approximately 4-minute swimming sequence, with a naked Josephine McKim acting as body double for Maureen O'Sullivan. That sequence, along with Jane's skimpy, two-piece costume that ( Read more... )

You know those movies you're embarrassed to admit you like, but find yourself secretly thrilled if they come on TV and you get to watch part (or all) of them? Top Gun is on my list. I really love the first 30-45 minutes of it, and parts of the ending, and put up with the stuff in between. But almost everyone else in the world hates the movie, so ( Read more... )

Tired. Exceedingly punchy. More than a little bit giggly. Stardust is a great movie. Go see it.

It's time for the Perseids! (Thanks, anthologie, for reminding me).

*****

Jed posted links to a bunch of entertaining games and puzzles.

*****

The Stanford Theater is showing Casablanca and In a Lonely Place this weekend. If you haven't seen In a Lonely Place, and you like film noir, go see it. I'm not linking to IMDB for a reason - it's better if you ( Read more... )

(Grandpa asks Boris, the dance teacher, about his granddaughter Essie's progress with dance lessons)

Grandpa Martin Vanderhoff: How's Essie doing?
Boris Kolenkhov: Between you and me, she stinks.
Grandpa Martin Vanderhoff: Oh well, as long as she's happy.

from You Can't Take It with You

I spent the weekend with a friend. Mellow hanging out: cooking food, watching movies, reading, researching odd topics, and being instructed in the strategy of backgammon. Dinner on Saturday night was fajitas. There was skirt steak marinated with beer, olive oil, salt, pepper, & jalapenos, then grilled. We also had black beans, avocado, sour ( Read more... )

It was with good timing, given my recent nostalgia for Portland (home of many microbreweries, and thus home to the first theater-pubs I know of), that last night found me at one of the Speakeasy Theaters. (My apologies to rhiannonstone for going without her, but having been to one, I still want to check out the other, so our plan is still in motion!)What else ( Read more... )

It may be hard to believe, given my taste in movies, but until last night I had never seen The Treasure of the Sierra MadreI liked it. Unfortunately it never sucked me in. This may have been the pacing, which seemed slow to me, or because I knew where it was going very early on. Whatever the explanation, some part of my brain was quibbling with ( Read more... )