We just received our netflix choices and it is The Holiday and Confetti. Normally I don't try and watch movies with Cameron Diaz but my girl crush on Kate Winslet makes me lower my standards now and then. It is fluff but sometimes I need fluff. I am excited about the second movie because it has a number of my favorite actors. Martin Freeman, Jessica Stevenson (though she recently changed her last name to Hynes) and Steven Mangan. Yippie!

Just watched A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints and liked it quite a bit, though it was a bit too episodic at times. I did really like how it represented kids in the 80s just hanging out, but the later stuff didn't always come together for me. Loved Robert Downey, Jr. though. And Channing Tatum (despite the odd name) is HOTT.

I kept wondering who would buy that Robert Downey Jr and Rosario Dawson were the same age (shes about 15 years younger than him). But otherwise I really liked it. Shia LeBeouf is really carving out a nice career for himself.

Tonight I watched The Break-Up. I didn't like it at first because Brooke was a manipulative control freak and Gary was a lazy, selfish, overgrown child, but I quite liked it by the end. It had some genuinely funny moments, and even though they were awful to each other, the ending was still sad. Vincent D'Onofrio and Justin Long (though his hair was appalling) were both fantastic.

That was so sweet and thoughtful. I mean, everybody can bring flowers, but >>flours?<<

I know! It was so original! And awesome! *swoon*

Netflix served up two documentaries for me this weekend: PBS' Marie Antoinette and After Innocence. The PBS doc performed as expected--I just wanted to know a bit more about Marie and I don't mind being shown the same half-dozen paintings of various historical figures repeatedly while experts talk about events in their lives, though I certainly understand why some people can't stand this doc style.

After Innocence was a bit weak as a documentary but the material was so powerful that I could easily overlook the filmmaker's inexperience. I couldn't believe how many of the exonerees weren't even offered the same integration services available to parolees. Many of them couldn't even get their records expunged because they couldn't afford the court costs. It's a shameful situation.

My favorite Historical Doc style is when you see two people in very cheap costumes interacting during one of History's great turning points (Or at least shadiest schemes) and all the actors have to work with are steely looks of resentment or betrayal.

I finally got around to seeing Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood. Fun movie! Those tights are hysterical, but I love a movie with good sword fights. The colors in the movie are also incredible. I think I'm going to rewatch it with the commentray track next.

Ooh! I do envy you seeing that for the first time. The restoration job is truly a wonder (it looked good before but now it's amazing). And the commentary is very informative about the cast and crew, if a little worthy.

Hee! This doc had a bit of that, with "Marie Antoinette" wringing her hands occasionally and looking worried.

We watched The Lady in the Water this weekend along with Tootsie. My husband had never seen Tootsie -a crime I tell you. I have always enjoyed that movie. It's so interesting to watch it now on a social-history perspective. The fact that everyone could smoke -everywhere. Including on set. It makes me think my Mom mentioning how when she was an actor you could smoke in all theaters and it was something you would do while waiting to go on stage because it didn't require concentration and it was something to do with your hands out of boredom. As for the first movie we saw, it wasn't as bad as critics made it out to be but I do think that it was a trifle arrogant for the M. Night Shyamalan to cast himself as the writer. And the critic character wasn't needed. Really Shyamalan needed someone to edit his work a bit and say, "woah cowboy let's not get too smug here." I like the idea of the story but it didn't live up to its potential.

Watched Donnie Darko last night. Will absolutely have to watch again. Excellent.

Then a friend brought over Clerks II. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum!

Donnie was really good, but being a teen/college student in the '80s the music being not quite right was annoying. There were some inconsistencies and head scratchers, but otherwise it worked. As a said a rewatch could be needed.

Loved Clerks II. It would be a beautiful thing if Kevin Smith & Quentin Tarantino teamed up for a movie. Kevin smith is a dialogue god, whereas Quentin could bring plot and fun. Not that they don't do well on their own, bring the two together would blow a lot of minds. Of course, Rosario Dawson would own the movie!

Kevin Smith could greatly benefit from someone who likes using the camera to film his words, but I don't think it'd be Tarentino--he's probably the only writer-director more in love with his words than Smith is.

I finally saw Step Up since I'm in a dance-y frame of mind and was in the mood for a summery movie. I went in with no expectations, I mean I was sure it would probably be crap, but I ended up really liking it! Much better than you'd expect, totally enjoyable. Channing Tatum was good (and hot) and shocked the hell out of me by being a great dancer, for real. I guess that'll teach me to look down my nose at dance movies! Hee.

Other than that I'm mired down in watching Season 1 of Babylon 5, which I'm reserving judgement on until I hit S2. But I did nudge A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints up a few notches in the queue, because of Mr. Tatum.