squidpants

so i got the Blockbuster version of Netflix awhile ago and have seen a lot of movies. Here are some quick reviews:

Interstella 5555 - a Daft Punk DVD, this is an animated movie made from all the videos from their Discovery album (the one with "One More Time.") It was really cool, it's about a band of outer space people and the music sounds great. It really seems like they put the music together at the same time as the animation. I recommend it highly.

Oldboy - a wild Korean movie about a guy who was imprisoned seeking revenge, I recommend this one. It's pretty violent and funny at times, with some pretty weird and bizarre parts as well, so be warned. If you have ever said "that movie is too violent for me" then you may want to avoid it. It's pretty cool though, pretty interesting and different. I realize this isn't a good description, but check it out.

The Cramps: Live at Napa State Mental Hospital - I thought this sounded pretty neat based on a review from Giant magazine, the Cramps, as psychobilly band (as in psycho rockabilly) play for the inmates of Napa State Mental Hospital. Unfortunately, the picture and sound quality is awful - it appears to be recorded from a VHS tape from 1984, it said "1984" and the name of a company on the bottom of the screen. I got bored after about 3 songs and turned it off - even with crazy people running around the stage and generally acting crazy. Maybe if you are a huge Cramps fan you'd like it, but otherwise, blah.

Shaun of the Dead - a "rom zom com" i.e. romantic zombie comedy about two lazy English friends who have to fight off zombies. I am a big fan of zombie movies, but this one is interesting because it seems a little more possible - just sitting around playing video games, what if zombies attack? Not that zombies attack very often, but still. I recommend this one.

Suriyothai - a big epic movie from Thailand, supposedly the most expensive movie. It sort of reminded me of the epic from the 60s about bible stuff, where despite living without running water and soap, everything is really clean and tidy. The scenery was neat, and there were some big battles, but the acting was really wooden and the dialogue was corny. Maybe Thai people are wooden and corny, but I think it is probably just a lame movie. The plot was sort of dumb too, it seemed like they were trying to tell us that it's an amazing story, rather than actually being an amazing story. And the ending was weak - I didn't care. I don't recommend it.

Kingdom of Heaven - this one didn't get the best reviews, but I really enjoyed it. It's an epic about the Crusades with Orlando Bloom and Liam Neeson. It's almost more about religious tolerance, and has some pretty awesome battle scenes. The plot is also really interesting, though it's not quite historically accurate apparently - a synthesis of two historical people. But in any case, I really enjoyed it. A little less artsy Braveheart about an interesting time we don't really hear much about, when Christians invaded the Holy Land. Good stuff.

Himalaya - one of my coworkers had been hassling me about this movie forever, trying to get me to watch it. Probably because he hassled me, I wasn't that impressed. It's a story about a Himalayan tribe and a journey through the mountains. It didn't blow me away, but it was beautiful to look at though, the mountains and colors and things. It's definitely something unusual - not too many about Himalayan tribes. So I'd say check it out if you are looking for something different.