Title: Justin Bieber: Never Say NeverNotable Actors: Justin Bieber, his hot manager
Why?: Because my friends from work were going, and I figured that, given my affection for such groups as the Jonas Brothers, I might like it.
Thoughts: This movie was kind of awesome. I really like musical biography movies, and even though this one is more a documentary than a biopic, it's similar enough that I still enjoyed it. The kid really is talented, too, whether or not you care for his music. And, as a nice surprise, we all learned that he has a hot manager! If anyone would like, I now own plenty of Bieber music...I'd be happy to share it with you!
Title: The United States of Tara, The Second SeasonNotable Actors: Toni Collette, John Corbett (heh. That kind of rhymes.)
Why?: Because I watched the first season and liked it.
Thoughts: This one was a bit less focused than the first season, I thought. Don't get me wrong, it was still really good, and the performances great, but I felt like I kept losing sight of where it was going. That, and I wasn't thrilled with the Charmaine storyline (which, you'll have to see to know what I'm talking about). That being said, I'd still recommend the show - you can't go wrong with any of the Showtime half hour comedies.
Title: Step Up 3Notable Actors: A bunch of dancers who were in the first one
Why?: Because I watched Step Up 2 with Niki when I was in California last fall and I liked it
Thoughts: This one was...not as good as Step Up 2. I really liked that one. That being said, I still liked this one a great deal too. It's pretty much what you'd expect - the standard dance-rivalry story - but the dancing was good, and the characters not too irritating. If you've seen and liked the others, I'd recommend it; otherwise, I'd say start with Step Up 2. (Also, apparently this was in 3D if you saw it in the theaters. I'd imagine the dancing would translate very well to such a medium; however, I saw it on my TV in my living room, so I can't really testify to that fact.)
Why?: Because I watched Step Up 2 with Niki when I was in California last fall and I liked it
Thoughts: This one was...not as good as Step Up 2. I really liked that one. That being said, I still liked this one a great deal too. It's pretty much what you'd expect - the standard dance-rivalry story - but the dancing was good, and the characters not too irritating. If you've seen and liked the others, I'd recommend it; otherwise, I'd say start with Step Up 2. (Also, apparently this was in 3D if you saw it in the theaters. I'd imagine the dancing would translate very well to such a medium; however, I saw it on my TV in my living room, so I can't really testify to that fact.)
Title: Simple Times: Crafts for Poor PeopleAuthor: The stupendous Amy Sedaris
Why?: Because Amy Sedaris is awesome.
Thoughts: Hilarious. Particular favorite chapters include "Crafting for Jesus," "Handicraftables," and "Teenagers Have a Lot of Pain." Her love of crafting never ceases to entertain me, and her writing style is even more hilarious when you imagine her saying the words. That, and any crafts that rely heavily on pipe cleaners and plastic googly eyes are OK in my book.
Title: Nickel and Dimed: On Getting By In AmericaAuthor: Barbara Ehrenreich
Why?: Because I read about it in a slate.com article, and I thought it looked interesting, and there was no wait on Paperback Swap to get a copy
Thoughts: An interesting look at an educated woman who attempts to live on minimum wage by working various jobs, including waitressing, housekeeping, and working at WalMart. The analysis section was a bit more economically indepth than I cared about, but at the same time, it presented the information well enough that even I could understand it. A fairly quick read, too, with some interesting stories.
Title: Cactus FlowerNotable Actors: Walter Matthau, Ingrid Bergman, Goldie Hawn (for which she won an Oscar)
Why?: I'd been meaning to watch it because I like 60s comedies. Somehow it made it to the top of my Netflix queue.
Thoughts: This was cute, if pretty much exactly what you'd expect from the genre. I enjoyed it, although I didn't think any of the performances were exceptional. How Hawn won an Oscar for playing what appears to essentially be herself is beyond me. Don't get me wrong, she and the others were all quite enjoyable...I just don't think anyone was that laudable. (That being said, I've only seen one of the other nominated performances in her category, so I don't know that I can really judge accurately.)
Title: Waiting for SupermanNotable Actors: Well, it's a documentary, so a bunch of real people.
Why?: Because I have far too many friends who are teachers to not watch it.
Thoughts: Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the input of someone far more qualified to comment on the subject matter: my dear friend Unnamed Person With A Background In Education. Person says, "It applies to inner city areas. If I were a parent in an inner city, this message would aboslutely apply, but it applies much less so in suburbia. Where it simplifies too much is with some of the charter schools, and how you have to apply to get in, which weeds through the people in a way that public schools can't. Which then leaves behind less motivated kids in public schools. It still comes back to the parents and the community are motivating the kids. And it's glaringly obvious how bad the test scores are now, but what it doesn't pay lip service to is that many politicians talk about fixing it, but just create more bureacracy that doesn't necessarily help. I don't like that they made the union the bad guy, although I do agree that tenure happens too easily. Overall, it was fairly superficial, yet had its good points with regard to enlightening people to the presence of the problem."
