Netflixing - Part Zwei

So, hey, "Over The Hedge" comes out on DVD on October 17th. W00T!!!!
I really dug that film, so I'm probably gonna buy it out-right.

In my minireview of "Stick It" in the previous post, I failed to mention the fun and bouncy soundtrack.
It's a well-balanced mix of punk, pop, rap (Missy Elliot! She's wacky!) and rock, with a few oldies. Like I said, fun.


And now,
Additional Netflixing:

Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.5 - Disc 1
I did wonder why there were only 3 discs in Season 2.0. Who breaks up a season in two halves, anyway?
So hey, Pegasus! And with our old friend Michelle Forbes at the helm (well, not MY old friend, my brother's old friend).
(Okay, maybe more if an old acquaitance. He hates the show by the way, he finds it "gonflant" [tedious and boring])
I think it's pretty cool. The stealth ship is nifty, it reminds me of a WipEout race sled.
I really love the space physics and the shield-less warfare. I hope Kenner makes a toy Cylon Basestar.
I still think the show could use a few laughs. TEH ANGST is a bit much.
Looking forward to Disc 2.

The Matador - aka "What Do You Do With A Burnt-Out Hitman?"
Neither fish nor fowl, this movie knows not whether it wants to be funny or dramatic. So it winds up somewhere in the middle.
Pierce Brosnan is a globetrotting hitman who's starting to lose it. He has no friends and no one to talk to.
During a job in Mexico, he latches onto a visiting salesman (Greg Kinnear, the next Bob Saget) and they become friends for
a few days. Then they disconnect. Much later, our killing friend botches an assignment and really loses it. On the run
from his bos who wants to kill him, he looks up his only friend, Mr. Average Guy.
This is a pretty boring movie. I was waiting for it to kick in, but it never did. Disappointing. Avoid.

The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada - produced, directed by, and starring Tommy Lee Jones
The lurid tale of an ex-high school jock (Barry Pepper) who married the prom queen, then joined the US Border Patrol and
marooned themselves in some South Texas shithole town. He promptly (accidentally) shoots a Mexican ranch-hand by accident
(the Melquiades Estrada in the title), and justice completely fails to be served by either jock's boss or the local sheriff.
So Mel's boss (Tommy "Crusty" Lee Jones) decides to dispense a little Frontier justice. He kidnaps the jock, makes him
dig up Mel, then the 3 of them cross into Mexico to go bury Mel in his hometown.
The sibling and I do love our westerns and this definitely is one. Crusty is just so crusty! And the jock is the kinda
person who used to bully geeks in school, and now gets off on having a badge and a gun, so you don't feel too bad for him
as he gets brutalized and rectified by Crusty. For western fans definitely.

The Proposition - For those who think "Deadwood" is too wimpy.
Seriously hardcore Australian western set in the 1880s. Makes the American Wild West look downright civilized, it does.
These three brothers are wanted for various heinous crimes. The younger and middle brothers are captured by the local
constabulary (I don't know much about Australian history, however he sure as hell seems to be wearing a military uniform.
I guess it's the Aussie equivalent of the US Cavalry.). The cop jails the kid and makes a deal with the other brother:
"Here's a horse, here's a gun. Go find your older brother and kill him. You get a full pardon out of it."
The movie is just brutal, with people being dispatched left and right. Instead of fighting American Indians, the whites
fight aborigines and refer to them as "blacks". Not for the faint of heart. For fans of brutal westerns.

Silent Hill - wherein French action film director Christophe Gans reveals his PS1 "Silent Hill" addiction
Brought to you by the guy who did "Brotherhood Of The Wolf" ("Le Pacte Des Loups"), which is NOT available in the US on DVD.
Which seems like a stupid business decision, to not take advantage of either the "Silent Hill" theatrical release or DVD
release to have "Brotherhood" on DVD in stores with a big "From the director of Silent Hill" sticker on it.
Anyway, the movie is mostly based on the first game. There are several changes, of course. The protagonist is now a woman
instead of a man. Some of the creatures from SH2 are present, including the infamous "Pyramid Head" and his huge knife.
Instead of snow and fog, the town and environs are shrouded in smoke and ash from an underground coal mine fire.
I have to say that the smoke and ash makes thing a whole lot creepier.
It's a disturbing film and has some gory moments. It's not as scary as I thought it would be. I've never actually played
any of the games because I'm a big wuss. What I saw of "Silent Hill 2" gave me the screaming heebie-jeebies.
I think I enjoyed the movie, overall. The ending kinda sucked and I was surprised that multiple endings were not included.
This would have been in keeping with the games' spirit.
If you like freaky-creepy stuff, you'll like this. If you like gore, this probably won't have enough to satisfy you.