Netflix

(Alright, so it's been a while. I'm going to try to post a little more often during this semester, but- like always- I can't promise anything.)

Just a few movie-type things
Over the Christmas break, I signed up for a free months trial on Netflix. I'm not going to lie, it's kind of awesome. Not only does it have a pretty solid collection of TV shows, but it's got a massive selection of movies that, while it doesn't include many big blockbuster type movies, by adjusting your (incredibly specific) taste profile, can find and suggest movies that you might enjoy. It's a great way to find new movies that you might not have heard of otherwise. An example of the type of movies that my taste profile suggests for me? Visually-Striking Quirky Independent Movies. So yeah, it gets pretty specific.

Also in my wildly productive Christmas break, I watched every single episode of Community (there are only 2 1/2 seasons, but still). I watched the first season on Netflix in 4 days, and was hooked. I burned through the next season and a half almost as quickly. Holy shit, that show is amazing. It's consistently funny (although the first season was definitely the best one overall), the cast is great, and the writing is smart, unique, and, like I said, hilarious (I'm kind of glad I got into the show after the mid-season hiatus was announced. Otherwise, I probably would have been a lot more upset). Abed quickly became one of my favorite TV show characters ever. Danny Pudi is a near genius.

Finally, in movie news, I actually completed my goal of keeping track of/doing a (admittedly, sometimes incredibly brief) review of every single movie I watched in 2011. You can check them all out in the upper left hand corner, under the "Pages" tab. In case you're wondering, I watched 107 movies in 2011. Hmmm. I'll probably be doing a post in the next week or so about my favorites, least favorites, funniest, etc. I actually quite enjoyed doing this. While I got lazier about it in the end, and a few times had movies backed up for almost a month before I got around to writing about them, it was kind of cool to have them all neatly listed, sort of like a weird time capsule of my 2011 (but then again, maybe that's just my OCD/nerd side coming out). I might do something similar for 2012, but in separate blog post forms, rather than having them in a list on different blog pages. So if you like watching movies, keep an eye out for movie posts (coming soon to a computer screen near you)! The first one should be coming soon. I watch a lot of movies.

Anyways, Happy New Years! I hope you all had a lovely one. I'm back to school tomorrow, and I've finally reached that point in my life where this is no longer a dreaded thing. Yay for being all mature and stuff.

Also, if you have any movies you would recommend to movie-type people in general, let me know in the comments. Thanks!

Movies that I almost (but not quite) forgot about

You know what's the good thing about lists?

They satisfy my inner neuroticism.

Also, they are easy to make and give me a way to fill up space with my opinion in a way that is both easy to read, yet shockingly easy to ignore.

So here we go, in no particular order...
5 Movies I almost (but not quite) forgot about:  
Movies that made 6 year old me very happy.
I haven't seen any of these movies in probably 5-10 years and, except for Balto, I can only remember the fuzzy details. What I DO remember, is that they were awesome. They're mostly known for their animated animal/food characters and their overall shit rating on imdb.


#1. The Nuttiest Nutcracker
      My brother and I might have been the only people (ever) to watch this movie not once, but probably at least a dozen times. It's an animated Christmas movie that basically follows this formula:
(Veggie Tales - Religion) + (The Nutcracker) + (obligatory cute "kid" inanimate object) + (racially stereotyped vegetables) + (awesome/weird). Couldn't tell you a single significant scene/event in this movie, but I know that I liked it. A lot.
#2. The Pebble and the Penguin
     Again, I forgot about this movie until really recently. The plot revolves around several species of penguin (most notably the Macaroni penguin, which I thought was hilarious this morning when I was little.)  who live together, and one shy penguin is trying to woo the pretty girl penguin and, surprise, this turns into an epic journey involving a pebble (penguin mating rituals... don't ask). How can you not love a movie with a MACARONI PENGUIN?
#3. Balto
     Best. Dog movie. Ever? I think so. I don't even know how many times I've seen this movie, but it's probably well into the double digits. If you don't know of this movie/haven't seen it, I order that you go relive your childhood. Now. Seriously, sled dogs have never been this bad-ass. Nor have gooses been so silly (except maybe Uncle Walter in The Aristocats) and polarbears been so darn fluffy and adorable.
#4. The Land Before Time 
    There are, approximately, three dozen of these movies, but this is the only one I've ever seen, and it is a classic for sure. The movie made people of all ages cry (cummon, when he thinks he sees his mom? Don't say you didn't stifle a little sob), and was so good, yet they still insisted on ruining it by making about fifty sequels. I think there are two things that made this movie so good: 1) People are automatically, no matter what the context, fascinated with dinosaurs. This introduced little kids to them, thus being an educational AND enjoyable film. I know it's how I learned my first dinosaur species. 2) The characters are awesome. Spike and Petri are funny, Ducky is adorable, Cera (who is a triCERAtop, GET IT? So smart.) is a rebel, and Little Foot is just such a trooper/hero. Overall, a classic.
#5. Oliver & Company
     Yeah... I CANNOT for the life of me remember the plot of this movie. I just remember that Oliver was adorable and, at some point, somewhere, hidden in the Disney cheer, there is a really sad/scary scene (I can't remember which) that I didn't like watching when I was little. However, it's animated cats and dogs being buddy-buddy in New York. How can this movie not be good?

So there it is, five movies I'd almost forgotten existed. If you have any childhood movies that you almost forgot about, comment below, I'm actually curious. In the meantime, here is a song from my all-time favorite disney movie:
A Whole New World, from Aladdin (1992)


 Words cannot explain how much I love this movie.

Movies of 2011

Hey! Check out the new page on the side bar (to the right), for a new little thing I added about movies! Basically, I'll be keeping track of any and all movies I see this year (or, at least, for the next few months). There are a few movies I want to see this year, including 127 Hours, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,  The Green Hornet (because I love Seth Rogen), Scott Pilgrim vs The World (because I haven't seen it yet), and lots more I'm sure I've forgotten.

If you have any (any) suggestions for good movies, both new and old, comment below, it'd be appreciated.

Hope the first day of the new year has treated you well!


Man on the Moon Mashup, Kid Cudi and The Postal Service