This damn movie is on IFC or FMC twice a day!

I watched this over the weekend. I must say that I was surprised by the quality of the first season. I was impressed with the beardless Michael Gross and his comedic timing...and I did not realize that Skippy was featured during the first season. I never realized that Jennifer Keaton had an integral part in the show; I always thought her purpose was to tell Andrew Keaton to leave the room.

I never really watched the early episodes because Michael Gross without the beard scared me; he looked like a neighbor who would always yell at me for doing Hulk Hogan impersonations--bad one's.

I remember seeing the Tom Hanks drunk uncle episode, but I never saw the Tom Hanks white collar criminal episode. I thought it was honorable of Alex to try to aide his uncle in evading the authorities. I remember a friend of mine telling me he watched that episode for an ethics class he took at the University of Alaska-Anchorage.

I really enjoyed watching this. The Family Ties I remember was over saturated with clip shows--and Nick.

I've been wanting to see this. How was it?

Did you watch the epilogue?

Make sure that you do, if you haven't returned it yet.

mats, i enjoyed telegraph hill as i'm sure any animal lover would. i didn't watch any post-movie commentary theremin but i am aware that this guy is now/has been since the film was made pushing for people to not feed the parrots, which seems kind of odd since that's his hand on the cover and all. but hey, it's all about numbers really. but if that's not what you are referring to then hit me with a spoiler.

VALERIE!

See it when you can. Totally entertaining and worthwhile.

I was really opposed to the very idea of this film even being made, let alone spending money + time to actually see it.... but, uh, I kinda dug it. Waaaaayyyy better than 2 or 3....



Live Free or Die Hard

'Die Hard 2' isn't spoken of much these days but I always felt it was clearly better then the first film and one of the better action films of the time. Anyone?

Oh and shock with that avatar have been looking at Doctor Who on DVD. Those things are stocked with extras!

Official Pete & Pete guest star list:
Iggy Pop (classic. He calls Endless Mike a stooge)
Michael Stipe
LL Cool J
Steve Buscemi
Janeane Garofalo
Ellen Cleghorne
Bebe Neuworth
Chris Elliott
Adam West
And a handful of music from Stephen Merritt/Magnetic Fields

I feel like I'm forgetting a lot of people.

This was good, [spoiler]but waiting in vain for some resolution was a disappointment. [/spoiler]

Woah - you actually admit that?
OK, I'll bite - why?
Seriously, I didn't think the second one was bad per se (the third one, yes, that was terrible). But you gotta love the original badguy. Bruce Willis never had such a compelling opponent before or since ol' Alan Rickman.


Yah - most of which are better than the shows... which, to be honest, aren't as fantastic as we all remember them.

Oh I like the original just fine. John McTiernan is a throwback to old school studio pros who knew how to use the 'Scope frame. It's well crafted. But the 2nd one, courtesy of Renny Harlin is wonderfully sadistic and along with the crafstmanship. It has more personality. What is it with Scandinavian directors and reveling in mindless carnage (Verhoeven, Harlin). Harlin's Cliffhanger is the same deal.

As for DW, the best of them are still pretty damn good though. I watched Inferno the other day and damn if it isn't tense. 'The Two Doctors' is the DW equivalent of a Peter Greenaway film.

I got a Blockbuster online account about six weeks ago.

This was my #1 recommendation -- after I received it in the mail and actually read the description, I was bummed and almost sent it back unwatched. However, when I finally saw it, WOW! I hadn't before heard of Danielson, and it was just a great documentary, with interesting music and juxtaposition of Daniel Smith, the Christian rock industry, and mainstream audiences. I'm planning to purchase a copy. Plus, Sufjan Stevens and Daniel Johnston are thrown in at no extra charge.



The other two movies I got in that first round-of-three from Blockbuster were recommendations from this thread.

I thought The Edukators was pretty phenomenal. The suspense just about killed me, and the dialogue was intelligent and thought-provoking.

I agree with the comments above. The Bicycle Thief is a classic for a reason, a well told and well acted story that weaves in morality and ethical issues in times of desperation and from different perspectives of judgment. Really amazing film.

no, "MALLORY---ay!"

The few William Hartnell eps I have seen were incredibly boring. (but maybe due to them being fuzzy, archival kinescopes). The new Christopher Eccleston ones I have been watching on WTTW (the PBS here in Chicago) are nothing short of fantastic.

I watched Secretary and enjoyed it very much. Bizarre review pon de blog.

I can't believe I messed that up. In shame, I will go make garbage art in my garage.

Fo' realz.

My wife + I have become big fans of the new Dr. Who series. Sure, they've still got a bit of the ol' cheese that harkens back to the original Dr. Who style, but their new approach to the production (not to mention some brilliant casting) has won us over.

Catherine Tate back for NuWho s.4 is not brilliant casting. Nor is side-lineing Martha To Torchwood.

Dreamscape

OK, yeah, so I personally haven't seen this film in 20 years... and it's actually morphed into a decent flick with the passage of time. The effects are still pretty cool - especially for the era (mid-80's) & the performances are pretty first-rate (in fact, this is probably the only convincing performance I've ever seen by Kate Capshaw). Max Von Sydow & Christopher Plummer are classic actors who really should have worked together in more serious flicks (the plot's a bit cliche'd, but you know...), yet it's still great to see 'em hammin' it up with their roles. All in all, this is a fun way to kill some time while avoiding the summer heat.

life-affirming 52 minutes of film. if you are a teacher and do not have this guy's poster on your wall you have failed at life (but just a little).

I posted this on the music side as well.

Until July 10. You can download Glastonbury for free from Movielink.

http://glastonbury.movielink.com

so i watched My Cousin Vinny for the first time on wednesday. i had been completely in the dark on why everyone was in love with Marisa Tomei for a while back there. knowledge gained.

Not only that, but the emotional investment into the scripts are top drawer...the Doctor's untapped grief as being the only member of his race in all of the universe is heartening. The "Father's Day" episode, where Rose accidentally prevents her father's death causing a rift in time, made me cry.

Just finished season 2. People have warned me season 3 is the worst but to just plow through it and try not to sweat the dip in quality.

Season 3 has an uneven start, but it gets a lot better at the end.

agreed, having just started season 4 last night. great first episode, the tide has turned and the quality is definitely back on the upswing.

i'm trapped...i want to mention plot points but with nick being a season behind i'll just my trap shut.

I appreciate it. I'm completely obsessed with the Fischer family and don't want anything spoiled. I'm trying not to move too fast through the series b/c I want to enjoy it rather than just get to the end.

Don't think about 'dips'. Just dig it. It was pretty damn cool whenever I saw it, and I saw most of it.

I've always wanted to get into Doctor Who, but find the whole idea of a 26 season show overwhelming being sort of a completest. I really like the little of what I've seen of the new series. Just watched the Xmas Special and "Smith and Jones" on Sci-Fi tonight, and have caught maybe an episode or two of the last few seasons, but really am intimidated to delve deeper. Any help?

As for Six Feet Under, and I don't even think this is the first time it has come up in this thread, but I think Season 3 is pretty great. It's Season 4 that I can never remember what the hell even happened [spoiler]until the "shocking" finale. I think the Nate plot line of Season 3 is fascinating as he slips into the kind of complacent life he never imagined having.[/spoiler]

Laugh now-- but I'll bet Will Smith's son is looking at the script as you post...

But back on the subject:

Little Children was awesome.

Hannibal was surprisingly very good.

And I thought Breach was ok.

I can't help you at all, I just got into the series myself, but I was just wondering if anyone else caught in the xmas/bride episode that the alien "remote control device" was actual a video game controller for the Nintendo 64 spray-painted gold? Maybe they need a bigger props budget...

Very good.

Gosling's performance made up for that Notebook dreck.

You said it. The movie would be nothing w/o Gosling. Can't wait to see what he does next.

The stories vary so much in quality and approach that it is rather daunting. Most anything from 1974-1977 is quite good. That's the early Tom Baker era.

As for others, Inferno, Carvinal Of Monsters and The Caves of Androzani are all real good. And lots of others that don't spring to mind.

Now with the "watch now" feature on netflix, I've been watching those late night movies, you know, Clue, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Wild Things, etc. Also shit loads of Astro Boy.

Are we doing a mid-year correction? Because I really want to to place this on my list. Top 5, easily, maybe even higher. Jaw-dropping.

Tokyo Story by Yasujiro Ozu

didn't like it all that much. this was my first ozu's film and i thought his camera work was rather clumsy. the acting wasn't all that great, either.

in the last week or so:

hilarious


i enjoyed this one, but meryl streep's character was incredibly annoying. could've been a LOT better


have you ever noticed that meg ryan walks like a man?

As much as I love the cast, you couldn't pay me to see a Robert Altman movie.

Well that sir is a shame. Have you ever seen Nashville? If you haven't you should at least try that. It's only one of the best films of the 70's.

Man, I dunno. Every Altman film I've seen has left me feeling highly cheated of my time. There's always so much promise, and the journey starts out interesting... then all sense of plot fades away as the actors just seem to ramble on without any sense of direction. A luxury cruise ship, lost at sea.

Anything with Tom Baker is great. Any episode with the word "Dalek" in the title is great. The Jon Pertwee-era is very appealing to folks who like alien invasions and James Bond-style gadgets. Peter Davison's era was pretty good, too. Most folks agree that the angtsy-slightly schizo Colin Baker is a low point. I've seen very little of the Patrick Troughton and William Hartnell shows (and what I have seen bored me), and none of the Paul McGanns.

The two theatrical films with Peter Cushing don't follow any of the TV programs' mythologies, but are campy fun nonetheless.

Isn't that why Ozu is considered a master? I think he's the guy who pioneered action taking place off-camera or in the background. I haven't seen any of his films in years, but I always watched them more for educational reasons than enjoyment.

Or try Short Cuts. Another great film.

can't say i noticed much action taking placing off-camera. it was kind of odd watching actors speaking right into camera. it felt so amateur and staged. i agree that the film gives an interesting insights into the Japanese culture of the 50s, but other than that i didn't find it particularly enjoyable.

watched this today:

Le Notti Bianche by Luchino Visconti

very good film. it's an adaptation of Dostoevsky's White Nights. i watched Bresson's version of it. thought it was allright, but didn't think that i'd enjoy another version of the same novel. but it actually turned out very good. amazing acting.