What I have been watching

[sqbr]

So, a bit over a year ago I joined Quickflix. Since all the movies I've watched have been chosen on the basis that I'll have to wait for them and pay nearly double the price, they're an interesting mix of movies etc that I was genuinely interested in seeing. Since it keeps the history, I thought I'd go through each movie and give a brief synopsis and the rating I gave (I suck at rating things, though, so don't worry about them too much :))

I will happily expand on my comments for anything you guys are interested in.

In reverse chronological order plus links to any relevant posts (I deleted all but most recent rental of series):

• Fullmetal Alchemist, up to volume 3: 4/5. Anime about two brothers on a quest to undo an alchemical experiment gone wrong, actually kind of like Supernatural in a weird way :) Enjoying so far, though it's sometimes a bit intense.
  
• The Celluloid Closet: 4/5. Really good doco about the portrayal of homosexuality in hollywood
  
• Ah! My Goddess!: The Movie: 2/5. Confusing and rushed and not all that satisfying.
  
• Angelic Layer-Volume (Up to volume 4): 4/5. I like this, it's sweet and fun. About a young girl competing in an adorable little battle robots competation.
  
• One Piece-Volume 1 (dub): 3/5. Infectiously cheerful and silly pirate anime, I hear this isn't as good as the original version :(
  
• Millennium Actress: 4/5. This was good, if a bit slow. Anime about an actress looking back on her life and the history of Japan.
  
• Airwolf-Season 1: You'd have to ask distantcam
  
• Bodyline: historical recreation of some cricket scandal thing. Cam loved it.
  
• D.N. Angel (up to volume 2): 3/4. Silly but fun anime about a boy who has a second personality as a Phantom Theif (who is messing with his life)
  
• The Great Dictator: 4/5. Awesome Chaplin satire of Hitler and Mussolini
  
• Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu (up to volume 3): 4/5. Silly anime, but not entirely without substance and quite amusing. I like the main characters.
  
• Alien Nation: 2/5. Cam's movie, he didn't like it at all, not as good as the tv show.
  
• Before Sunset: 4/5. Slow and not much happens, but it was nice to see what happened next.
  
• The Office (US version): 4/5 We quite enjoyed this, an interesting contrast to the british version.
  
• Absolute Power-Series 2: 5/5. I realised I'd already seen it on the telly. Anyway, very good english satire about a PR firm starring Stephen Fry.
  
• R.O.D: TV (Vol 1): 4/5. I liked this series, though it got rather incoherent and wierd towards the end.
  
• Solaris (original russion version): 2/5. I'm sure it's great, but I got bored after the FIVE MINUTE scene of NOTHING BUT FREEWAYS.
  
• Curb Your Enthusiasm-Season 1: 1/5: Tries to be Seinfield but fails.
  
• Babylon 5-The Legend of the Rangers: 2/5. Cam hated it.
  
• Teen Titans (up to "Switched"): 4/5. I know it's trying to be anime and not really succeeding, but I like this show anyway. I have a soft spot for superheroes.
  
• The Man From UNCLE Collection (Disc 1): 3/5. Good for what it is (a fun 60s spy thriller show) but rather dated and I couldn't really get into it.
  
• Dead Like Me-Season 1 - Disc 1: 2/5 I like the premise of this show (a young girl dies suddenly and finds herself conscripted into being a grim reaper) but I just couldn't get into it.
  
• Radiohead-7 Television Commercials: 4/5. A collection of their video clips, enjoyable if that's your thing (and it is :))
  
• Revolutionary Girl Utena: 2/5 In a word: SURREAL
  

The reason there's so much anime is that our local video store has a terrible selection so I have to get it all online. I just added a bunch of dramas they didn't have last time I checked (Blackpool, 30 Rock, Bleak House), I think they must go through phases buying this stuff.

Comments

[fe2h2o.livejournal.com]

I remember enjoying Bodyline when it was on TV (1984!).

But that _may_ have been because we were allowed to stay up late to watch it:-) (I was living with emma_in_oz and her family, and her mum is a cricket _nut_!)

[alias_sqbr]

Well, Cam liked it, and he's a grown up with only a passing interest in cricket :) (He does have a soft spot for biopics though)

[nephron.livejournal.com]

Your ratings are wrong! Wrong!

[alias_sqbr]

No, YOUR ratings are wrong!!!!!!

...

I did say to ignore them :)

[deathwombat.livejournal.com]

What many people don't realize about Fullmetal Alchemist is that the manga is still running in Japan and it follows a completely different storyline after a certain point. Like the introduction of characters from the bordering Asian country where alchemy is used for medical/healing purposes and there's a little girl who has a very tiny pet panda.

Also with One Piece the main reason the dub is complete and utter donkey balls compared to the original is that they've taken a Japanese primetime anime with lots of healthy violence and censored the f*ck right out of it. ZOLO?! WTF?! Sanji smokes lollypops... The guy who is made out of smoke, smokes two cigars at a time and has bandolier FULL of cigars is now made of clouds, talks with his mouth mostly closed and still has a bandolier full of cigars... I hate 4Kids so much.

[alias_sqbr]

Yeah, I heard about that, but I didn't realise they'd sent me the crappy dub til it arrived :(

Mm, I had heard Fullmetal alchemist was one of those animes which diverges from the manga after a while.

[lizbyrd.livejournal.com]

I agree with most of your ratings here!

I liked the concept of Dead Like Me but I was so frustrated with George screwing up all the time in the first few episodes that I didn't enjoy it at all. Also it was just that little bit too black, I think.

[alias_sqbr]

I just didn't find it funny. And black comedy minus the comedy is just unpleasant.

[dr-jekyl.livejournal.com]

Teen Titans is not actually trying to be anime, it's trying to use anime influences in a way that blends well with Western cartoon traditions. A hybrid, if you will. It's my favourite cartoon in a very long while.

[alias_sqbr]

You're right, I didn't say that very well. It's not trying to be anime, just to use some of the conventions.

I do personally find the use of those anime conventions a bit unsubtle and overdone at times. But while it's not a perfect fusion of the best bits of western and eastern animation, it makes a not entirely unsuccessful attempt and I enjoy the show.

[miss-kittylix.livejournal.com]

I love Teen Titans too. I know it's a bit lame, but it's funny and slightly weird at times. And yeah, the whole cute teen superheroes appeals to me.

[miss-kittylix.livejournal.com]

Oh, and the Great Dictator is also a favourite of mine. Really great satire.

[alias_sqbr]

Yes, it was great, it's amazing how many awesome old movies there are that noone watches any more. (Well, not noone, but not as many as should, dangnabbit)

[miss-kittylix.livejournal.com]

Oh tell me about it. I did a course during honours on British 190s film. I saw soo many awesome films and I've tried to get others to watch them. They really are timeless! We should get together and watch more old films!

[miss-kittylix.livejournal.com]

That's meant to be 1940s film

[alias_sqbr]

I read it as "1900s" and was a bit confused :)