I have a deep, abiding hatred of everything Comcast: the obnoxious commercials trying to sell you more of the service you're already watching, the 45-minute waits to speak with a customer service representative about something they take care of in 30 seconds, the bills that nearly double without warning when your "promotional offer" expires.
But since the building next door blocks my satellite reception for Verizon, FiOS doesn't extend to my building yet and Verizon got rid of their regular cable service...Comcast is my only option if I want to watch TV. Last month, I finally decided I was sick of paying $65 a month for basic cable and downgraded to limited basic, which includes all network channels and saves me upwards of $45 a month.
As a reward for my (belated) thriftiness, I upgraded to the two-at-a-time Netflix plan, and have been spending way too much time adding DVDs to my queue. (I love that word - it makes absolutely no sense phonetically, but it just looks so darn cute. And calls to mind fabulous British accents.) I love that I can rent a season of The West Wing and get my nightly Aaron Sorkin fix while saving Enchanted (who doesn't love a musical satire?) for the weekend, sending it back Monday morning to get Paris, je t'aime in time for Wednesday night's French class.
But I'm notoriously lame when it comes to keeping up with "must-see" films (I saw Casablanca for the first time two weeks ago), so I've got a lot to catch up on and am not sure where to dive in first. Do I move Wanted to the top of my queue for the sheer pleasure of spending two hours staring at James McAvoy? Or do I catch up on all the arthouse films I've been telling myself I should see? Or finally watch Kill Bill: Vol. 2 or The Shawshank Redemption?
Two I can cross off my "to add" list, since I've actually been to the theater twice in the last month (that's gotta be a record): Quantum of Solace and Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, NY.
James Bond is always enjoyable, and it'll be all over network TV as soon as it's released, if I have an urge to see it again. And I have to say, I really like that Daniel Craig's 007 doesn't seem to be spending the last scene of every film in bed, and that the supporting actress roles thus far have a lot more substance than previous Bond girls.
Synecdoche, NY, however...I lost count of the number of times I winced. The cast, led by Philip Seymour Hoffman, did a great job all around. But the plot was just painful. If you read Camus' L'Etranger and think, "Man, that wasn't nearly enough existentialism!" you'll love Synecdoche (pronounced similarly to Schenectady, where it begins). Otherwise, save yourself the two-hour headache and go see Slumdog Millionaire instead, so you can tell me about it.
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6 comments:
Oh, please add Tootsie to your queue!
I remember we talked about it and you said you hadn't seen it, and I was going to buy it for you but then I had to go on pre-unemployment money lockdown.
It's not at all deep, but it is very cute and funny. It will not use many of your brain cells in exchange for entertaining you. Sometimes that's the kind of movie you need.
Done - thanks, Anne!
Definitely Tootsie! And Shawshank Redemption. Terrific film. And I'm a West Wing freak myself.... Love that show and I miss it!
Me too - did you see the piece Maureen Dowd at the New York Times posted from Aaron Sorkin during the campaign? It's a meeting between Bartlet and Obama, I loved it!. Here's the link, if you haven't read it: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/opinion/21dowd-sorkin.html
Good decision. I've heard great things about netflix
Thanks! Netflix is awesome, and will be even more so once they get their "Instant Play" feature up and running for Macintosh.
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