The Netflix Expirement

So for Christmas, my sister-in-law Stephanie got me 3 months of Netflix for free. Having never used the service, I've decided that this would be the best way to catch up on my "To watch" list. So here's a few reviews of movies that I finally got to see (some are old, some new).

The Third Man (1949) starring Orson Welles
Harry Lime isn't too far behind Charles Foster Kane in my book! This movie is extremely close to topping Kane in quality. Set in Vienna post WWII, this thriller/mystery is worth watching. Although Welles doesn't show up until well into the last 1/3rd of the movie, when he's onscreen it's awesome. The rest of the cast are entertaining as well. This is one that definitely stands the test of time. 5 of 5 stars

Blade Runner (1982) Starring Harrison Ford
This one has been on my list for a very long time, so naturally I made it part of my first batch. Sadly I wasn't captivated by it as expected. I liked the storyline, but just something about it didn't just click with me, which makes me sad. However I do believe that part of the reason is that I've seen references in movie magazines and such that make reference to the is "Deckard really an android?" question, and I guess i was expecting a "I am Tyler Durden" moment instead of the subtle moment at the end of the movie. However I do plan to give it another try eventually to see how i ultimately feel about it. 3.5 of 5 stars

Ghost World (2001) Starring Thora Birch and Steve Buscemi
I've seen this one before, but Stacey hasn't and for some reason I brought it up a few days before setting up the Netflix account. It's a pretty fun independent comedy (with Scarlett Johansen before she became a big name) and I didn't know until recently it's based on a graphic novel (probably b/c the ones i read are about superheroes and stuff and not teenage girls facing post-High School Life). 4 of 5 stars

UP (2009)
Freaking Pixar! They know how to make cartoons for all ages, but they also know how to make you sad. The first 10 minutes of this movie were so depressing. But with that said, this is a toss-up with Ratatouille as my favorite Pixar movie. 5 of 5

Extract (2009) Starring Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis
The last good Mike Judge movie made was probably Office Space, so it was nice to see his workplace humor and memorable character form show up in this movie. The whole plot of the movie is about sexual frustration basically and we all know that's freakin hilarious right? What i loved about the movie though is the guy who played Champ on Anchorman plays probably the most annoying neighbor ever , it was one of those characters that you want to stab in the neck with a pencil, but yet probably the best part of movie (just like Milton in Office Space). However long-hair and bearded Ben Affleck and Mila Kunis were pretty annoying so that knocked a few points down. 4 of 5 stars

Day That the Earth Stood Still (1951)
This movie had the Blade Runner effect on me. I expected myself to like it but it just didn't do wonders on me like I was anticipating. For the time it was made, i agree it was pretty good, but it just didn't captivate me like i wanted it to. 3 of 5 stars

RocknRolla (2008) Starring Gerard Butler
This took a bit of time to get into but then it becomes a lot like Snatch. Although not as good as Snatch, it was still pretty cool. Guy Richie once again makes a invincible Russian antagonist which makes me now think Russians just can't get killed no matter how many times shot or ran over. This is supposed to be the first of a trilogy but with Sherlock Holmes doing pretty good, I'm not sure we'll see "The Real Rocknrolla" anytime soon or at all. 4 of 5 stars

Observe & Report (2009) Starring Seth Rogen
A few funny parts, too many parts that aren't and try too hard. 1 of 5 stars

The Wrestler (2009) Starring Mickey Rourke
Bravo! Mr. Rourke. It doesn't take long to see exactly why Mickey Rourke was nominated for an Oscar. Great storytelling. 4.5 of 5

Bottle Rocket (1996) Starring Owen & Luke Wilson
Thanks to this movie we were introduced to Wes Anderson and the Wilson Brothers. Not nearly as good as Rushmore or Life Aquatic, it's still pretty fun to watch. 3 of 5 stars

Miller's Crossing (1990) Starring Ethan Coen
This was one that Stacey and I were split on. She hated it, I very much enjoyed it. I really think i've seen this before, but it's a fun Italian mafia vs Irish mafia flick. Fun as a movie it is, I'm pretty sure when people with machine guns are shot, they probably won't stand around shooting the gun for 30 seconds in every direction....but it's funny. 4 of 5 stars

Green Street Hooligans (2005) Starring Elijah Wood
Pretty much Fight Club in England. it's a decent film and some good fight scenes show up. Do hooligans really hate journalists though? That's the only thing i sort of scratched my head over. I thought they'd hate people on opposing teams a lot worse. 3 of 5 stars

Ronin (1998) Starring Robert De Niro
I love Robert Di Niro. And he's probably the only thing i liked about this movie. That and the car chase. Could have been cooler but then again I may be expecting too much after seeing Heat.
3 of 5 stars

A Scanner Darkly (2006) Starring Keanu Reeves
This was pretty interesting and it's the second Phillip K. Dick movie I watched this last month. Filmed and then animated over, it was a interesting watch. The movie itself was alright and Robert Downey Jr. was awesome anytime he was onscreen. Although the movie was alright, what's really cool is the story behind the story it's based on. This was Phillip K. Dick's semi-autobiographical story about living in LA during a time he was pretty heavy into drugs. The excerpt at the end of the movie lists people "who were punished entirely too much for what they did" that lists people who died or suffered permanent damage b/c of drugs came right from the book. Pretty cool and makes me want to read it. 4 of 5 stars

Haven (2004) starring Orlando Bloom
The cover of this DVD makes it look like another "Crash" and the film kind of steers that direction, however a lot of sloppy editing kind of ruins it. 3 of 5 stars

Away we Go (2009) Starring Jim from the Office!
Pretty much a grown up version of Juno which substitutes weird made-up slang, hamburger phones and cross country running training for a weird Maggie Gyllenhaal, and a bearded Jim from The Office. 4 of 5 stars