Five More Movies to Add to Your Netflix

Here they come again...

Go (dir. Doug Liman)- Great cast, funny script, and some really memorable scenes. The whole rave thing is going to seem dated now, but the characters and their situations make the movie still entertaining.

Starship Troopers (dir. Paul Veerhoven)- An unfairly maligned movie that people thought praised facism, not denouncing facism. The use of Anglo actors with Latino surnames is part of the satire. Look for great ideas about media and how all of us could become part of a proto-Nazi movement. "Service equals citizenship."

The Limey (dir. Steven Sodebergh)- Funny, sad, and clever. Terrence Stamp gives an amazing performance. Luis Guzman, Peter Fonda, and Nicky Katt all deliver good support. The story is a traditional revenge tale, but told boldly.

Undercover Brother (dir. Malcolm Lee)- Hilarious! One of the funniest movies I've ever seen. Clever and dumb, that is hard to pull off. Dave Chappelle steals the show as "Conspiracy Brother" and there are scenes skewing racism that are still laugh out loud funny to me.

Wonder Boys (dir. Curtis Hanson)- What a great movie. My husband enjoys movies where there are characters we grow to love and live with. This is a very smart movie that accurately captures English and creative arts departments with their unprofessional mingling of students and teachers. Well shot and well acted.

Middlebrow: A Definition

So, here are my conditions on being middlebrow. Feel free to send your own.

• vegetarianism
• public television/history channel/discovery/etc.
• bumble and bumble haircuts
• whole foods
• woody allen movies
• the new york times
• belittling mtv/reality tv/popular shows
• life of pi
• golf
• herbal essences shampoo
• new york/new yorker magazines
• for the oldsters, M*A*S*H (the originator of middlebrow)
• Other Music

Five Movies to Add to Your Netflix

So, I've decided to give you five movies I enjoyed and maybe didn't get enough love. You should check them out. I'm gonna do this every week or so, so enjoy!

1. Nurse Betty (dir. Neil Labute)- One of the few movies to understand how a soap opera is made. I'm talking to you Soapdish and Tootsie. The acting is great and a solid supporting cast make this a comic and romantic film to try.
2. Kingpin (dir. The Farrelly Bros.)- One of my top 10 movies. I laugh every time I watch it. This movie is not as loved as Something About Mary, but it has some great performances and Bill Murray as Ernie Mcracken is another gem from him.
3. Gattaca (dir. Andrew Niccol)- Brave New World meets a 1940's film noir. This was Jude Law's big break and he is fabulous as is Alan Arkin and Uma Thurman. A lot of heady ideas are involved and it's a true testament to humanity.
4. Equilibrium (dir. Kurt Wimmer)- Not perfect, choppy, seems edited by committee. But, the fight scene are amazing and Christian Bale is quietly creating the most interesting filmography of his generation.
5. Grace of My Heart (dir. Allison Anders)- A movie for music geeks featuring characters based on Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, Carol King, et. al. A well done melodrama with some beautiful songs and a great central performance from Illeanna Douglas.

Oscar Thoughts

So, the Oscars have come and gone and I just have a few thoughts...

Chris Rock was hilarious. The Magic Johnson segment was hilarious.

"Russell Crowe does research on three weeks ago."

Johnny Depp looked crazy, but he rules so who cares.

Best Dressed: Hialry Swank, Beyonce, Cate Blanchett, and Salma Hayek.

The show was very nice and in general I was happy. Yay Charlie Kaufman!