ali’s Neighborhood

.:What I'm Watching:.

Casablanca. [Of all the "gin joints" in Morocco, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), with husband Victor (Paul Henreid) in tow, had to walk into the one owned by Rick (Humphrey Bogart), a former beau she abandoned in Paris. War looms over them all, and in a much-discussed ending, Rick and Ilsa make heroic but heartbreaking choices. As time goes by, director Michael Curtiz's 1942 classic war noir only gets better. Peter Lorre and Claude Rains also star. ~netflix] yet another classic i've never watched before. and it was soooo good. 5 stars. i love me some classic movies.

The Cleaner. [In this A&E series inspired by actual events, Benjamin Bratt stars as "extreme interventionist" William Banks, a former drug addict who talks to God and now spends his time helping other users turn their lives around. His team of so-called "cleaners" includes a woman he once slept with (Grace Park), a serial complainer (Esteban Powell) and a car salesman (Kevin Michael Richardson) who owes William big for saving his brother's life. ~netflix] it's all right. not great, that's for sure. i like grace park as a maneater, not as a frakkin' cylon. hehe. i never thought i'd say this, but i might actually keep watching the show just to see more of her. i was never a huge grace park fan in Battlestar Galactica, but i really like her in this show. i don't know about the rest of the cast and the writing and stuff, though. i mean, i get that the show's a drama and everything, but does it seriously need to be THAT DRAMATIC? jeez. 3 stars.

Da Ali G Show, Season 1. [Hilarious British comedian and impersonator Sacha Baron Cohen crisscrosses the United States alternating among the three offbeat personalities he plays. Cohen becomes Ali G, the "hip hop journalist" who's really just a white wanna-be rapper; Borat, the gullible newsman from Kazakhstan; and Bruno, the homosexual Austrian fashion plate. Laugh while Ali G, Borat and Bruno discover America and interact with the locals. ~netflix] so funny. i honestly have NO idea how he doesn't just start busting up laughing at these people he's interviewing. 4 stars.

The Dark Knight. [Batman (Christian Bale) teams with Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) to continue dismantling Gotham City's criminal organizations in this sequel to Batman Begins. But a psychotic new villain known as the Joker (Heath Ledger) threatens to undo all their good work. The star-studded cast includes Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman, Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Caine and Eric Roberts. ~netflix] 5 stars. totally awesome. loved every minute of it. saw it at the imax and it was awesome. when we own this on DVD (you know we will buy it!) i wanna have another movie night. :D

Doomsday. [When a deadly viral epidemic breaks out in present-day Britain, killing hundreds of thousands of people, the government quarantines the infected behind a walled city -- only to be confronted with a resurgence of the disease 30 years in the future. In the vein of Mad Max and 28 Days Later, this morality tale veiled as a sci-fi hypothetical features enough action, combat and suspense to keep audiences wondering, "What if?" ~netflix] this movie has everything! viral outbreaks, blood and gore, mohawks, future stuff, medieval stuff, action, chase scenes, fighting, fires, and the poor man's kate beckinsale. heh. what? she is. this is from the same director who brought you The Descent. (which is an awesome movie, btw... and i don't like horror. although it's not typical horror. whatever. anyway, you should rent it.) anyway, back to Doomsday... like LE said, "i'm not sure if this is a good-bad movie or a bad-bad movie." regardless, i liked it. 3.5 stars.

Umrao Jaan. [Ravishing Indian beauty Aishwarya Rai stars in director J.P. Dutta's remake about a poor girl who is sold into a brothel, where she's transformed into the courtesan Umrao Jaan and falls in love with Nawab Sultan (Abhishek Bachchan). Life as a courtesan is filled with hard knocks as Umrao tries everything in her power to control her own destiny. Shabana Azmi, Sunil Shetty, Divya Dutta, Himani Shivpuri and Kulbhushan Kharbanda also star. ~netflix] very sad. end was confusing. and even though it was 3 hours long, i felt like it was totally unresolved. I NEED CLOSURE!!!! i believe it's a remake of another movie by the same name. but the original doesn't have aishwarya in it. the costumes were breathtaking. 4 stars.

.:What Mia's Watching:.

Little Einsteins: The Flight of the Instrument Fairies. [This colorful collection from the popular Playhouse Disney series includes four fairy-tale adventures, including the never-before-seen episode "Flight of the Instrument Fairies," featuring a band of musical sprites who paint the Artic sky. Join Rocket -- who can gleefully transform from a spaceship to a submarine -- as he guides Quincy, Annie, June and Leo on adventures with a team of lost puppets in Prague and at a black-tie ball in Vienna. ~netflix] while i like that this show introduces kids to various composers and artists, i dislike how annoying this show can get. also, there's a little asian girl character and i noticed that the girl who voices her is asian as well. is that a rule? like, if you have  an asian character, it has to be voiced by an asian? because it seems ridiculous. then again, i'm sure asian peeps would be all up in arms that the asian character isn't voiced by an asian if it weren't... ugh. people are so dumb and ridiculous. oh. right. back to the DVD. your kid will probably be totally mesmerized... but you won't be. hehe. i think mia would give this a 3 or 4 star rating. i am giving it 2.

.:What I'm Listening To:.

Beck: Modern Guilt. produced with Danger Mouse. pretty good. i enjoyed it. i am looking forward to a repeat spin. i think i liked it as much as I liked The Information. maybe even more! 4 stars.

DJ Craze: Fabriclive 38. good fun. seriously. i was not expecting much at all, but it was good times. 3.5 stars.

Mark Farina: Fabric 40. this album was good, but i prefer to see mark farina live. 3 stars.

Tricky: Knowle West Boy. i'm really digging this album. a lot. this is my second spin and i think it's going to be in heavy rotation. drops september 9... or you can get the import now. 4 stars.

.:What I'm Reading:.

Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan. (click here to read the plot summary on wikipedia) a very interesting, very enjoyable read. i'm not done yet (i'm reading two books at once. i should just commit to one and FINISH it. sheesh.), but hopefully i'll finish this next week... :)

to the normal human being, but there was no way I was gonna pass these up while they were on sale!  I get the whole box of 'em to myself because the pictures creaped Dave out.

 

On a healthier note...hehe...Tis the Season...these so juicy, running down your chin white peaches are to die for!  I mean, God is sitting up there on his throne thinkin', what the heck?  I made these peaches and those fools are eating Barbie Pop Tarts?  What a mess...

 

www.eco-action.org

 

.:What I'm Watching:.

The Bank Job. [Based on a true 1971 event, this thriller tells the story of Terry (Jason Statham), a car dealer who becomes involved in a London bank heist only to find that the contents of the bank vault will draw him deeply and irrevocably into the city's criminal underbelly. Murder and scandal abound in this tale of corruption populated with a surprising mix of offenders, from low-level thugs to government officials and all the way up to the royal family. ~netflix] finally! jason statham in a good movie! i totally forgot that dude could act because he is usually in some suckfest of a movie. 4 stars.

Baran. [When 17-year-old Latif (Hossein Abedini) loses his job at a Tehran, Iran, construction site to the illegally hired Afghan Rahmat (Zahra Bahrami), he begins playing cruel pranks on Rahmat. Soon, however, Latif discovers that Rahmat is actually a girl, and he begins helping shoulder her burden at the construction site. When officials demand that all illegal workers be fired, Latif must choose between safety and social standing, and his young love. ~netflix] 3 stars. it was all right. it's slow and stuff and if you're not in the mood for this movie, i can see how someone might really dislike it. there's not a whole lot going on in terms of excitement. but i liked it.

Blood Brothers. [Inspired by John Woo's renowned Bullet in the Head, this highly stylized gangster film set in 1930s Shanghai follows three friends from a poor fishing village who travel to the big city in search of their fortune. What they find, however, is a seductive criminal underworld that tests their values and threatens to tear their friendship apart. Daniel Wu, Ye Liu and Tony Yang star. ~netflix] i don't know about this movie... it was... okay, i guess. i was expecting a little more, but some parts were pretty lame-y. okay, make that a lot of parts. the last shootout was okay, i guess... but i wouldn't really recommend it to anyone else. 2.5 stars. i mean, with the starpower behind it, you'd think it would be better. pretty disappointing.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog . [Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a 43-minute tragicomicmusical in three acts, each released as a separate episode. It was produced exclusively for Internet distribution and tells the story of Dr. Horrible (Billy), an aspiring supervillain, Captain Hammer, his nemesis, and Penny, their mutual love interest. The movie was written by writer/director Joss Whedon, his brothers Zack Whedon (a television writer) and Jed Whedon (a composer), and Jed's fiancée, actress Maurissa Tancharoen. The writing team penned the musical during the WGA writers' strike. The idea was to create something small and inexpensive, yet professionally done, in a way that would circumvent the issues that were being protested during the strike. ~wikipedia] it was awesome, awesome, awesome. 5 stars. if you didn't watch it when it was streaming a couple of weeks ago, either download it off iTunes or you can also watch it here, as well. free streaming is back!

Doctor Who: The Five Doctors. [This 90-minute special of Britain's long-running fantasy TV series first aired in 1983. When four of the current Doctor's incarnations fall prey to a rogue Time Scoop, they end up at the evil Death Zone of Gallifrey and must make it to the tomb of Rassilon to uncover the secret of the first Time Lord President before being sucked into a vortex. But they've got company -- the men are besieged by a Dalek, a Yeti, Cybermen and the Time Lord himself. ~netflix] i love the doctor who theme song. can i say that without sounding too nerdy? i don't know. i love the new doctor more, i think... but i still enjoy the old doctor whos. 3 stars.

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. [ Having satisfied their urge for White Castle, Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) jump on a plane to catch up with Harold's love interest, Maria, who's headed for Amsterdam. But the pair must change their plans when Kumar is accused of being a terrorist. This fun comedy follows the hapless stoners' misadventures as they become fugitives and try to evade being recaptured by the Department of Homeland Security. ~netflix] not great, but there were some funny parts. the first was way better, though. 3 stars.

He-Man, Season 1, Volume 2. [The battle for power continues on the planet Eternia as mighty warrior He-Man guards the secrets of Castle Grayskull from the evil Skeletor and his minions in this collection of episodes from the first season of the animated television series. Whenever danger threatens, Prince Adam and his timid tiger transform into muscular superhero He-Man and fearless Battlecat, saving the day with the help of loyal comrades Orko, Teela and Man-at-Arms. ~netflix] i love he-man. 5 stars!

A Man Named Pearl. [A Man Named Pearl tells the inspiring story of self-taught topiary artist Pearl Fryar. It is a subtle and intriguing film that is certain to open hearts and minds. It offers an upbeat message that speaks to respect for both self and others, and shows what one person can achieve when he allows himself to share the full expression of his humanity. ~imdb] in may, we watched a screener DVD of this movie. it's a pretty awesome movie and he is really amazing... read steve's review for more info. i gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

Meerkat Manor, Seasons 2 & 3. [Flower, Shakespeare, Yousarrian, Mozart and the rest of the Whiskers family are back for another season of high drama in the Kalahari Desert in this popular reality series from Animal Planet. This second season sees the group face even tougher challenges, with bitter new rivalries, vicious battles over territory, the disappearance of Shakespeare, two pending pregnancies and a potentially catastrophic love triangle. ~netflix] good lord, those meerkats are effin' cute. 4 stars!

State of Play. [Powerful politico Stephen Collins (David Morrissey) is embroiled in a scandal when his research assistant dies in a freak accident and his former campaign manager Cal McAffrey (John Simm), now a reporter, realizes the incident may be linked to the death of a drug dealer. As McAffrey digs deeper, he uncovers a dangerous connection between government and big business in this exciting conspiracy thriller from the BBC. ~netflix] reeeeally good. i see on netflix that they're making a hollywood remake of this mini-series. i don't think they could do it justice, but helen mirren and jason bateman are in it, so i'll definitely be keeping an eye out for it. 5 stars for this mini-series.

Vexille. [In a futuristic world where Japan has isolated itself with a magnetic field so it can continue the development of robotics and biotechnology, it's up to a U.S. special forces team to find a way inside. Dubbed SWORD, the team is led by a formidable female commander named Vexille, who's tasked with figuring out whether Japan's top secret experiments pose a serious threat to the world at large. ~netflix] pretty awesome. it was really well done, in my opinion. if you liked Appleseed, you will like this one. 4 out of 5 stars.

I'm always surprised by the creativity I find on Etsy.  I thought these dolls, Vintage by Crystal, were really unique and artsy.  She has a lot more than this, but I liked these...I just hope she has some left when I come up with some extra cash :D

before my recap, i just want to say that since i've been back, mia's told me no fewer than 20 times (in different ways) that she loves me.
"mama, i just LOVE you!"
"i love you, mama!"
"i looooove you!"

yeah. all last night and this morning she's been telling me... boy, make her feel abandoned and she'll be a good little girl and tell me she loves me. woohoo! best.mom.ever. she hasn't told me that she loves me since... i don't even remember! it's been MONTHS. and she only told me that once!

oh, and she started getting sick at grandma's. :( she's not too bad, but last night, she had a pretty high fever. i didn't measure it, but she hasn't had a fever in a long time. poor baby. she takes after me, i guess. up until high school, i used to get sick anytime i spent the night away from home. :( literally homesick, i guess. weird, huh? hopefully she gets better soon. i had to tell conner's mom to keep conner home. i didn't want him to get sick.

anyway, back to the con. there weren't very many freebies this year so i don't really have anything to send out to anyone. but, i do have some Doctor Who and Spaced postcards, so if you want one, PM me and i'll mail one out to you. :D

there's a long post ahead... and/or peep my pics. they're not that impressive. i didn't take any pics on the floor (too many people and it was nuts) and in some panels, i wasn't at a good angle to take pics of the big screens... so yeah.

THURSDAY

i was fully packed and ready to go. packed the car up while the kids were sleeping so that when conner's mom came to pick him up, i could just stick mia in the car and take off. i was trying to make the 5pm train and i knew it would be tight. so mia and i ran to the car and we were gone before conner's mom was even finished getting conner in his car seat. haha! i raced back and got to the train station with maybe 40 or so minutes to spare, but i was still nervous because there were a TON of people trying to get on the train. i finally got on, but it was basically standing room only. which sucked. i ended up sitting on the ground. and that REALLY sucked. but i just started a book and in no time at all, i was in san diego.

there was a HUGE accident going southbound on the 5 so steve's friends who left at 7:30 AM didn't end up getting to the con until 1:30. that's a 1.5 hour trip that took 6 hours. i'd be PISSED. steve and co. left around... 9ish? and they took the long way (without traffic, maybe a 2 or so hour drive?) and it took them 3 hours because there was an accident there, too. but that's WAY better than 6 hours. but i am SO glad i took the train. only 2 hours and i didn't have to be stressed out during the drive or finding parking or driving down those stupid one-way streets in SD. woohoo!

anyway, the train got there after 7, so i couldn't pick up my badge. boo. steve came to the station to pick me up and we walked to the hotel (quick maaaaybe 10 min walk) and we dropped my stuff off, we went to the food court at horton plaza to grab a bite and meet everyone else. i think all i did was drink on thursday night. haha!

FRIDAY

i wanted to go to ralph's to pick up a sandwich and i had to get registered, so i sent steve to stand in line. while i was (speed)walking to the con by myself, some dudes totally whistled at me. haha! i laughed. oddly enough, they were pretty normal looking dudes. they weren't all nerded out. woohoo! i still got it! sort of. anyway, moving on.

it was already a zoo. soooo many people there. the first panel i went to go see was Watchmen. seriously? Watchmen looks so awesome, i don't even know what to tell you. they showed us some extra footage and i don't know how i'm going to wait until march 6 to watch it. (coincidentally, the watchmen release date is also steve's 40th birthday. that is ALL he wants to do for his birthday. haha!) i literally got chills watching the extra footage. anyway, not only did the footage look amazing, but all the actors in the Watchmen showed up to promote the film.

after that panel was done, we decided that we were going to get into joss whedon's panel with the actors of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. (if you haven't watched that yet, DO it. it's awesome.) anyway, for those of you who have never been to a con, joss whedon's panels are pretty hard to get into just because he is SO popular. there is usually a looong line and sometimes you don't even get in. soooo... steve and i snuck in. haha! we were able to get in without anyone noticing. phew. steve is so slick, i swear. hehe. i think it's because he just looks like he's not doing anything wrong. i always look guilty. hehe.

anyway, after we were in, i stood against the wall to charge steve's camera and after a few minutes of standing there, neil patrick harris walked RIGHT BY ME. i could've reached out and touched him... well, except for the security around him. haha. i seriously had a mini-heart attack.

the panel was awesome. nathan fillion, felicia day, NPH and the other guy (whose name escapes me) were all there along with joss and the writers. it was a great panel. joss definitely has one of the more entertaining panels around. and it was a lot of fun. and they were all funny. nathan fillion is such a ham. i love him. no really. i love him.

so after that, i ended up walking the floor... picked up a bunch of cute stuff. i spent a bunch of money. heh. OH! and i ran into patrick wilson on the floor. (well, he was surrounded by security.) he is a seriously good-looking man. *meow* hehe. oh, and they were having a Watchmen signing or something and jeffrey dean morgan was standing up waving and we locked eyes and he pointed at me. haha! i looked around as if to say, "are you looking at me?" and then i looked back at him and he nodded and pointed again. haha! so i waved. i didn't know know what else to do. haha. it was a total teeny bopper moment.

and at some point in the day (wait. i'm not sure if it was friday or saturday. might've been saturday. the days are running together.) i saw joe mcqueen. he is in the documentary Confessions of a Superhero. (btw, that is an awesome documentary. you should watch it.) i talked to him for a bit and he was really sweet. :)

after that was just dinner and more drinks. hehe. then we went to go watch the World's Worst Cartoons. no, seriously. they literally ARE the world's worst cartoons. they weren't purposely made bad. they are old and there was no budget. so yeah. they're just bad. and funny. especially when you're drinking. heh.

SATURDAY

saturday was a heavier panel day for me (since friday i only went to two)... the line to get into the Heroes panel was INSANE. get this... people started lining up THE NIGHT BEFORE. that's 12 hours of sitting out on concrete. people are nuts. the line snaked back and forth and then like a mile back. yeah. i know. it was crazy. we thought about not going in to that panel. but steve thought we'd get in (Hall H fits like, 6500 people or something) so he just went ahead and got in line. our friend gave up and went to a different panel. and i went to go get my SWEET SWEET Watchmen shirt (exclusive for the con)... and i walked on the floor... got myself a super cute belt... and i made an asshole of myself by singing "happy birthday" to Astroboy so i could get a big ass bag. (if you've never been to a con, this probably doesn't make a whole lotta sense. hehe.) i saw lena headey in person. when you see her in movies or tv, she is a pretty woman. but in person? she's BEAUTIFUL. seriously? she is like, one of the top 10 most beautiful people i've ever seen.

and then steve called me and he's like, "the line's starting to move. call [our friend] and you guys get over here." so i start RUNNING off the floor and i call her and tell her to GET OVER HERE. so she starts running and we got there RIGHT in time to get into Hall H. dude, we were so elated. it was awesome. hehe.

and it was SO worth it because they showed us the entire first episode of season 3. YOU GUYS, IT'S SO GOOD. i was kinda starting to lose interest in Heroes during the second season... i just didn't think it was that good and i thought they were introducing too many new characters. but... man. this episode has renewed my faith in them. hehe. it was REALLY good (i'm sure it's up on youtube somewhere)... and yeah. it was just awesome. i didn't get any pics because the Hall was so packed that we weren't at a good angle for picture taking. but everyone was there and it ruled.

OH. during the Q&A portion of it, this little kid gets up to tell zachary quinto (Sylar) how awesome he is so he's like, "SILO, I JUST WANT TO TELL YOU THAT YOU'RE AWESOME!!!!" hehehe. that "silo" seriously made EVERYONE laugh. it was SO cute.

after Heroes was LOST. we stayed until the Q&A portion. i wish we stayed a little bit longer because apparently, matthew fox showed up. GAH. i love him.

we ran to get into line to see the Dollhouse panel. (another joss whedon panel) it was a long, long line. steve went to check out the sitch and what happens? he sneaks in again. and leaves me and [our friend] to fend for ourselves. haha. it was okay cuz we got in, but that place was PACKED. whether we made it in or not, i would've been okay. i would've liked to see the Dollhouse panel, but if i missed it, i didn't really care cuz i was REALLY wanting to see the Battlestar Galactica panel.

anyway, the Dollhouse panel didn't disappoint. i missed the show's trailer, but i'm interested in watching it when it comes out. eliza dushku is a little spitfire. hehe. she's so cute and funny. and tahmoh penikett (helo on BSG) was there. he was looking a little clammy and pale. i thought he was going to pass out... oddly enough, he didn't show up for the BSG panel even though it was RIGHT after the Dollhouse panel.

BSG had tricia helfer (six), katee sackhoff (starbuck), jamie bamber (apollo), james callis (baltar), michael trucco (anders) and ronald d. moore and david eick (executive producers) were there. i was just happy to be in there. seriously. i thought i wasn't going to make it to any of the panels and i got into them all. i was stoked.

on the way down to check out the panel for the new Pixar, i saw felicia day (dr horrible) so that was cool. so, the new Pixar called Up is really cute. they showed some footage and it looks pretty amazing, as well. i'm looking forward to that one.

and the floor was so crazy that i couldn't get a picture of the enormous Castle Grayskull on the floor, but i'm sure if you really want to see it, someone will have a picture of the Mattel booth online. sometime during this time, i got to see LE and her boyfriend... it was just for a few minutes. and turns out that she and i bought the exact same super cute belt for ourselves. hehehe. i gave them the astroboy bag i got (he's a big fan, i'm not) so yeah... that was about it. then it was time for us to separate and keep on doing stuff. good lord, we were busy. hehe.

after the floor, we went back to the big hall to see the Sony panel. they showed a trailer of Quarantine, which kind of scared me. heh. i probably won't watch it... although, jennifer carpenter (who plays Dexter's sister in ... Dexter. heh.) is in the movie. and i really like her. we'll see. that movie looked scary. what? i'm kind of a wuss. the 3rd installment of Underworld (which is supposed to be a prequel) looks like a whole lotta SUCK, but i'll probably still watch it. haha! and then it was Pineapple Express. i think it's gonna be pretty funny. i mean, it's a buddy-action-comedy-weed flick. how can it NOT be funny????

by then it was about 7. we went back to the food court at horton plaza to grab a bite. i had one of my worst ideas ever. i had mongolian bbq... and then followed it up with chili cheese fries... mmm, salty dessert. hehe. oh! and i saw jon heder. he just picked up some food and was looking for a place to sit and went upstairs to the second floor seating. hehe. it was funny cuz he was slowly walking by looking around and i was like, "dude! he looks JUST like jon heder! weird!) and then i caught a glimpse of his badge and it read "jon heder." hehe. i was like, "OH! it IS him!" hehe.

after that, i was just TIRED. went back to the hotel to relax a bit. we must've walked at least 10 miles each day (steve's friend had a pedometer and it told him that he had walked 11 miles on saturday) and yeah. well, that was mostly it. sunday we just woke up, had breakfast and came home. this year i saw so many more celebs and stuff in person. usually i don't run into anyone. so it was interesting. i usually don't give a crap, but during the con, i turn into this crazy teeny bopper. hehe.

i was happy to see mia, she was happy to see me and that was that. hehe. we went to souplantation last night and mia and i ate a ton of food. and dude, can anyone tell me why it took me like, 3 weeks to lose 6 lbs, but only 3 days to gain 2.5lbs BACK?! jeez.

and can help you lose weight!  I've been recently learning about the health benefits that my mother has been praising.

I'm planning on getting some soon...

Oh yeah...sorry folks, it was late when I posted this...anyway, you eat it.  I think my mom has been slathering it on her toast (it's tasteless so she puts it on with her jam or whatever) and stirring it in her tea. 

And, it does wonderful things for the skin and hair because my sister-in-law Sara has been rubbing it on her body and the rest of us gals were in awww last Christmas by her face!  We all kept staring and asking, what do you use on your skin?

and insist that you try this organic ice cream that I got this evening at the market.  It is soooo yummy!

 

.:What I'm Watching:.

30 Days, Season 2. [What better way to give people a crash course in empathy than to have them inhabit somebody else's life for 30 days? That's exactly what Super Size Me director and star Morgan Spurlock does on this popular FX Network show. Season 2 opens with "a border-patrolling minuteman" moving in with an undocumented Mexican family and continues with episodes on abortion, New Age healing, prisons (with Spurlock himself spending time behind bars) and more. ~netflix] the first story was truly touching and amazing. the other ones were entertaining for sure, but didn't pull on my heartstrings like the first one did. looking forward to the second disc. this show is way better than the other trashy reality tv shows. 4 stars.

Cannibal! The Musical. [Featuring riotous tunes, crass humor and sight gags galore, this hilarious genre bender set in 1873 chronicles the tale of Alferd Packer (Trey Parker of "South Park" fame) -- the only American ever found guilty of cannibalism. With Packer at the helm, a party of gold prospectors gets stranded in the midst of a savage Rocky Mountain winter, and next thing you know, ribs and liver are on the menu. "South Park" co-creator Matt Stone also stars. ~netflix] schpadoinkle! before there was South Park, there was Cannibal! The Musical. and seriously, i LOVE this movie. i don't know that anyone else really does. but i LOVE it. 5 stars, damn it!

The Incredible Hulk. [Edward Norton stars as Bruce Banner in this version of the classic comic book tale about a doctor who searches for a cure for his exotic condition, which causes him to transform into a huge green monster when under duress. Drawing closer to finding a remedy, Dr. Banner becomes sidetracked as he's pursued first by the military and then by a rival monster known as the Abomination. Robert Downey Jr. co-stars as adversary Tony Stark. ~netflix] okay. i was kinda disappointed in it. i wanted less talky-talky and more hulk-smashy-smashy. and i seriously wanted to hulk-smash liv tyler's face EVERY TIME SHE TALKED. there were a lot of moments where i just had to roll my eyes and just ignore them because it just annoyed me so much. 2.5 stars. also, the netflix synopsis there makes it sound like robert downey jr actually co-stars. uhm. he doesn't. he's in it for all of ... MAYBE 5 minutes. at the very end.

The Middleman. [A struggling artist is recruited by a secret agency to fight against evil forces. Based on the graphic novels by Javier Grillo-Marxuach and Les McClaine. ~imdb.com] way fun. i was a little iffy about it because the promo posters totally sexed up Wendy Watson's character, but the show is really fun with really good dialogue. i'd suggest reading the comic it's based on, as well. 4 stars.

Penelope. [Penelope Wilhern (Christina Ricci) is cursed, and the only way out of it is to fall in love with someone of suitable stock. But how can she possibly find her soul mate when she's sequestered inside her family's sprawling estate with only her parents (Catherine O'Hara and Richard E. Grant) to keep her company? Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon co-produced this unconventional fairy tale about a girl who bucks convention to make her own happy ending. ~netflix] it was cute. not a great movie, but i liked it. i thought it was kind of sweet, and at the same time still having that girl empowerment thing going on. oh, and also, Burn Gorman (Owen in Torchwood) makes an appearance. i love him. too bad they didn't give him more to do in this movie. Nick Frost (Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, Hyperdrive) is also in it very briefly. 3 stars.

Samurai Jack, Season 2. [The Emmy-winning series' sophomore season finds the young samurai again wrestling with a bizarre future universe and trying desperately to return to the past. Meanwhile, he continues to do battle with malevolent wizard Aku (who transported the Japanese warrior to the future) and his many minions. Boasting amazing animation and action-packed story lines, this compilation of 13 episodes will keep the kids riveted. ~netflix] i think this season is less focused than the first season. sometimes they'd have completely unrelated things in an episode and i'd get slightly confused. still giving it 4 stars, though.

Wild China. [This six-part series from the BBC uncovers some of the most exotic and uncharted natural habitats hidden within the vast and diverse topography of China, including Yunnan's forests, the Tibetan plateau, the Silk Road and the Mongol steppes. Through high-definition and other cutting-edge camera technologies, the footage presented here captures stunning wildlife sequences, along with a plethora of breathtaking landscape photography. ~netflix] fascinating. really. i'm serious! it's really interesting to watch. i am enjoying the heck out of it. 4 stars.

.:What Mia's Watching:.

The Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation. [The Care Bears (NobleHeart, TrueHeart, TenderHeart, SwiftHeart, FunShine and Grumpy) fight an evil demon named DarkHeart who wants to stop all caring and loving on Earth. In a pact with DarkHeart, an unhappy girl agrees to help capture the Care Bears using a magical crystal. Will the warm and caring bear clan prevail over the evil DarkHeart and his misguided minion? ~netflix] mia really liked watching the fuzzy, chubby bears. hehe. at the end, she was totally doing that audience participation thing... they ask if anyone else cares and she started chanting, "we care! we care!" hehe... and THEN she started really getting into yelling, "i care! i care!" yeah. it was funny as hell. also, she was totally dancing during the end credits to that bad 80s music they had going on. hehe. she'd probably give it 4 stars. hehe.