Friday, May 22, 2009
My leave of absence, Netflix and more
Netflix:
So I finally have taken the plunge. Even though I knew about Netflix in its relative infancy through friends, I never once thought of signing up. Why rent, I thought when you can just buy the discs and keep them forever? Well, that's all well and good for films I adore and will watch
over and over but what I have done in the last few years is to accumulate a few discs here and there that I love and a whole ton of average discs and crap.
After my 31 Days of Film experiment I found myself a bit put off of watching movies for a while. This, combined with other life events, lead to me no longer buying any DVDs. While I did clear the backlog of a few titles, I unfortunately have lapsed in my bookkeeping and I'm not really
certain as to my backlog. What's worse is that I have not written anything on my blog in months. So to rectify these two events I have signed up for Netflix and have added tons of obscure (mostly foreign and/or silent) films to my queue. So after receiving and watching my
third disc, The Passion of Joan of Arc, I feel I can now start writing on some of the films and shows I have watched in the previous months. So stay tuned faithful readers and here's a taste of some reviews that are in the near future:
Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood
Ikiru
Superman: Doomsday
Angels and Insects
The Oyster Princess
and more!
So I finally have taken the plunge. Even though I knew about Netflix in its relative infancy through friends, I never once thought of signing up. Why rent, I thought when you can just buy the discs and keep them forever? Well, that's all well and good for films I adore and will watch
over and over but what I have done in the last few years is to accumulate a few discs here and there that I love and a whole ton of average discs and crap.
After my 31 Days of Film experiment I found myself a bit put off of watching movies for a while. This, combined with other life events, lead to me no longer buying any DVDs. While I did clear the backlog of a few titles, I unfortunately have lapsed in my bookkeeping and I'm not really
certain as to my backlog. What's worse is that I have not written anything on my blog in months. So to rectify these two events I have signed up for Netflix and have added tons of obscure (mostly foreign and/or silent) films to my queue. So after receiving and watching my
third disc, The Passion of Joan of Arc, I feel I can now start writing on some of the films and shows I have watched in the previous months. So stay tuned faithful readers and here's a taste of some reviews that are in the near future:
Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood
Ikiru
Superman: Doomsday
Angels and Insects
The Oyster Princess
and more!
Labels: site news
Monday, February 16, 2009
31 Days of Film: A Retrospect
So the experiment is over now. I was able to successfully watch thirty-one films, one for each day, and to successfully blog about each and every one. I was able to take a considerable chunk out of my DVD backlog as well as to explore some films I had always wanted to see but never had. There were times when watching the film was a sheer delight and at other times I honestly thought I couldn't get through the darn movie.
So how did the movies stack up? Well for some raw statistics Of the 31 films watched:
5 were comedies
6 were Science Fiction
5 had Bela Lugosi
6 were silent films
13 were Foreign films with
5 Hong Kong
4 Japanese
2 French
1 British and
1 German
8 I tagged as "Classics" and
7 were tagged as Crap.
So what about the present and the future? Well, for now I am just back into my normal, pre January routine. I have almost finished a Mystery Science Theater set and I've gotten back to watching some anime so look forward to some reviews on that. If you are interested as to what's sitting in my "watch pile" right now, well here it is:
(all episodes refer to the next epiosde I will be watching)
Inazuman: Episode 5
Super Robot Red Baron: Episode 27
Ultraman Moebius: Episode 1
All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku OAV: Episode 2
Chance Pop Session: Episode 12
Maison Ikkoku: Episode 82
Rose of Versailles: Episode 29
Touch: Episode 41
Mystery Science Theater Vol. 12: (30 minutes left of The Starfighters)
Mystery Science Theater Vol. 13 (20th Aniversary set): First Spaceship on Venus, Werewolf and Laserblast.
So I certainly have a lot on my plate for now. Expect more grand things in the future and if you have any more crazy ideas for experiments feel free to let me know!
So how did the movies stack up? Well for some raw statistics Of the 31 films watched:
5 were comedies
6 were Science Fiction
5 had Bela Lugosi
6 were silent films
13 were Foreign films with
5 Hong Kong
4 Japanese
2 French
1 British and
1 German
8 I tagged as "Classics" and
7 were tagged as Crap.
So what about the present and the future? Well, for now I am just back into my normal, pre January routine. I have almost finished a Mystery Science Theater set and I've gotten back to watching some anime so look forward to some reviews on that. If you are interested as to what's sitting in my "watch pile" right now, well here it is:
(all episodes refer to the next epiosde I will be watching)
Inazuman: Episode 5
Super Robot Red Baron: Episode 27
Ultraman Moebius: Episode 1
All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku OAV: Episode 2
Chance Pop Session: Episode 12
Maison Ikkoku: Episode 82
Rose of Versailles: Episode 29
Touch: Episode 41
Mystery Science Theater Vol. 12: (30 minutes left of The Starfighters)
Mystery Science Theater Vol. 13 (20th Aniversary set): First Spaceship on Venus, Werewolf and Laserblast.
So I certainly have a lot on my plate for now. Expect more grand things in the future and if you have any more crazy ideas for experiments feel free to let me know!
Labels: site news
Monday, December 22, 2008
New Project 31 days 31 movies
This January I plan on the most ambitious project ever for this humble blog. For 31 days of January I will watch a different movie. The guidelines for this month are simple:
1.) It must be a full length feature film. No shorts, TV shows, TV movies etc.
2.) I must not have seen it before. I could probably cheat on this but with the backlog I have of films (both recorded off of television and purchased I do not need repeats.
3.) For now they will all be live action. I may cheat and throw in an animated film but as for now, just live action.
If you have any suggestions, feel free to give them. :)
1.) It must be a full length feature film. No shorts, TV shows, TV movies etc.
2.) I must not have seen it before. I could probably cheat on this but with the backlog I have of films (both recorded off of television and purchased I do not need repeats.
3.) For now they will all be live action. I may cheat and throw in an animated film but as for now, just live action.
If you have any suggestions, feel free to give them. :)
Labels: site news
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Update as of 23 November 2008
Well, I've been watching a few different shows lately and I hope to have some reviews up for some discs soon. So for those wondering, here's a sort of snapshot of my "watch pile." Listed below are the episodes most recently watched
Anime:
Akiba-chan: Episode 5
Chance Pop Session: Episode 9
Funny Pets: Episode 3
Maison Ikkoku: Episode 78
Rose of Versailles: Episode 27
Touch: Episode 30
Live Action:
Super Robot Red Baron: Episode 20
MST3K: Future War
As you can see my viewing has gone up quite a bit this last month. This is partly due to personal reasons I'd rather not discuss. Still, at least I am getting back into my backlog and it certainly is a lot more fun than watching the news.
Anime:
Akiba-chan: Episode 5
Chance Pop Session: Episode 9
Funny Pets: Episode 3
Maison Ikkoku: Episode 78
Rose of Versailles: Episode 27
Touch: Episode 30
Live Action:
Super Robot Red Baron: Episode 20
MST3K: Future War
As you can see my viewing has gone up quite a bit this last month. This is partly due to personal reasons I'd rather not discuss. Still, at least I am getting back into my backlog and it certainly is a lot more fun than watching the news.
Friday, April 04, 2008
Some random TV/DVD notes
Yes, I know I used to be so good about keeping this blog. I know that if only for me it's a great window into my life which I can use to sort of track my habits back.
The majority of my TV time has been spent with a controller in hand. If you check out my other blog, you can kind of see more about that but I've gotten lazy on that as well. Since I've been watching a few random episodes of things, I'll try and post at least a quick update here.
MST3K - Time of the Apes: Editing TV shows into movies is never a good idea. While there are tv movies based on shows which are made to be split into pieces (i.e. Super Ducktales) going in the reverse almost never works. Sometimes it's passable like another MST episode Riding with Death and other times like with the Mobile Suit Gundam series fans even accept them greater than the original show. In the case of Time of the Apes, we get the worst scenario and get total trash. 26 episodes really can't be chopped down into an hour and a half without losing something and so we end up with a mishmash of plots which don't make a whole lot of sense. Like Johnny, I just don't care.
The riffing is excellent, however. I actually see myself watching this one again.
Tales of Symphonia - the Animation: This anime is really good ... if you loved the game. Luckily I loved the game so I'm enjoying this show but I doubt many others would like it as a stand alone OAV.
Touch!: What an excellent series! Now once I get time to watch more I'll enjoy more.
Wrestlemania 24: Wow, what a FANTASTIC event. I got to see this at the college which makes me glad to be an alumni.
'Taker's streak continued, Orton retained and Ric Flair wrestled in one of his best matches ever with a fitting end to a LEGENDARY career.
I'll try to post more later and at least keep up. Here's hoping I can at least do that.
The majority of my TV time has been spent with a controller in hand. If you check out my other blog, you can kind of see more about that but I've gotten lazy on that as well. Since I've been watching a few random episodes of things, I'll try and post at least a quick update here.
MST3K - Time of the Apes: Editing TV shows into movies is never a good idea. While there are tv movies based on shows which are made to be split into pieces (i.e. Super Ducktales) going in the reverse almost never works. Sometimes it's passable like another MST episode Riding with Death and other times like with the Mobile Suit Gundam series fans even accept them greater than the original show. In the case of Time of the Apes, we get the worst scenario and get total trash. 26 episodes really can't be chopped down into an hour and a half without losing something and so we end up with a mishmash of plots which don't make a whole lot of sense. Like Johnny, I just don't care.
The riffing is excellent, however. I actually see myself watching this one again.
Tales of Symphonia - the Animation: This anime is really good ... if you loved the game. Luckily I loved the game so I'm enjoying this show but I doubt many others would like it as a stand alone OAV.
Touch!: What an excellent series! Now once I get time to watch more I'll enjoy more.
Wrestlemania 24: Wow, what a FANTASTIC event. I got to see this at the college which makes me glad to be an alumni.
'Taker's streak continued, Orton retained and Ric Flair wrestled in one of his best matches ever with a fitting end to a LEGENDARY career.
I'll try to post more later and at least keep up. Here's hoping I can at least do that.
Labels: Anime, MST3K, site news, wrestling
Friday, February 08, 2008
No more DVDs?
Strangely the reason I've not been posting here is that instead of watching DVDs, my mind is becoming more active (along with my thumbs) and I've played a lot more video games lately.
Take a look at my other blog for more info on that.
Take a look at my other blog for more info on that.
Labels: site news
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Getting back to my roots
Hello to one and everyone! The site has been inactive for a number of reasons lately. What with having a job, a girlfriend and the usual day to day living I am a bit more strapped for time than I once was. The main reason I have not blogged, however is that honestly I really haven't been the couch potato I used to be.
Probably the biggest reason for this is the job change. I'm just not sitting on my butt in front of my laptop getting paid to watch movies until someone comes in with a broken PC. Now I sit in a cubicle doing paperwork or learning the system in-between repairing broken PC's. Despite the fancy job with the bigger salary my time and money are still limited and I really can't be the kid I used to be spending my entire check on anime and Hong Kong films.
I did, however, splurge and bought the Family Guy Freakin' Party Pack so I've been working on that rather steadily. It's strange to now be watching something in English but yet, I really can't put the show down.
The backlog still holds at 179 and has neither increased nor decreased for the last month, really. It's kind of amazing that I've been able to restrain my spending and I'm somewhat proud of myself for not getting myself a thing during the Deep Discount sale.
I have been pleased however, to find that traditional fansub distros still exist out there and I have made use of one to find some anime I've wanted for ages. Since I don't download it's great to find people offering such a service for the fans like back in the old days of 1999-2000 when I was first looking for something beyond the 20 $25 tapes sold at the local comic book shop. I'm experimenting with a bit more shoujo than I did back then when I mostly went for ecchi action/comedies like Hyper Police.
So we'll see if my anime interest rebounds or if I just lose all interest in the new stuff. Time shall tell.
Probably the biggest reason for this is the job change. I'm just not sitting on my butt in front of my laptop getting paid to watch movies until someone comes in with a broken PC. Now I sit in a cubicle doing paperwork or learning the system in-between repairing broken PC's. Despite the fancy job with the bigger salary my time and money are still limited and I really can't be the kid I used to be spending my entire check on anime and Hong Kong films.
I did, however, splurge and bought the Family Guy Freakin' Party Pack so I've been working on that rather steadily. It's strange to now be watching something in English but yet, I really can't put the show down.
The backlog still holds at 179 and has neither increased nor decreased for the last month, really. It's kind of amazing that I've been able to restrain my spending and I'm somewhat proud of myself for not getting myself a thing during the Deep Discount sale.
I have been pleased however, to find that traditional fansub distros still exist out there and I have made use of one to find some anime I've wanted for ages. Since I don't download it's great to find people offering such a service for the fans like back in the old days of 1999-2000 when I was first looking for something beyond the 20 $25 tapes sold at the local comic book shop. I'm experimenting with a bit more shoujo than I did back then when I mostly went for ecchi action/comedies like Hyper Police.
So we'll see if my anime interest rebounds or if I just lose all interest in the new stuff. Time shall tell.
Labels: site news
Thursday, October 11, 2007
I get a job and a girlfriend (and effectively a life as well) and this site seems to go to pot. For some strange reason I expected the near frantic pace of DVD reviews of this last summer to keep up. Honestly, I haven't posted a regular review since the end of July and that feels a little weird.
So what the heck have I been watching in the meantime? Well there were the baseball playoffs which I am done with now that my Yankees are out. I also have been rewatching some old favorites like Mystery Science Theater but I will really have to get in the groove again. Tonight I'm not doing anything so I will try to get another review up then.
-By the way, the irony of this post is that my then gf and I broke up not too long after. Oh well, DVDs are better than her-
So what the heck have I been watching in the meantime? Well there were the baseball playoffs which I am done with now that my Yankees are out. I also have been rewatching some old favorites like Mystery Science Theater but I will really have to get in the groove again. Tonight I'm not doing anything so I will try to get another review up then.
-By the way, the irony of this post is that my then gf and I broke up not too long after. Oh well, DVDs are better than her-
Labels: site news
Monday, August 20, 2007
Battra92 - Where are you?
No, I haven't died or turned into a pumpkin. The simple fact is that I have had no time for DVDs lately. My backlog remains pretty stagnant at 165 and while I would like to watch more, I just am finding it better to get out and do real things and get on with my real life.
I start a new job next Monday too. Maybe after I get settled the DVDs will start up.
I start a new job next Monday too. Maybe after I get settled the DVDs will start up.
Labels: site news
Sunday, May 20, 2007
RIP Panasonic CP-72: Jan 16, 2003 - May 20, 2007
It is 3:35 in the morning and no sensible person is up at this hour. At least no sensible person without a good reason.
This morning around 2:00 AM my trusty and faithful player of four years has passed on to that great electronics rack in the sky. I had been watching one of my Civil War DVDs while playing a game on my Macbook when suddenly the disc just stopped. I did the usual inspection and tried again. This time it would not even start. I tried another disc and nothing. Then glancing at the LCD screen was something I feared I would never see: H02.
The H02 error basically means the spindle motor is getting hot and won't turn anymore. This requires replacement of a few parts which, to be honest, I'm not sure I'm willing to spend on this machine. After all, it is now over 4 years old which in electronics terms is rather ancient. I paid $230 for it back then and I suppose I can not complain in that it gave me many thousands of hours of enjoyment. Sometimes I even ran the thing all night long and it still chugged along.
Tomorrow I will try it again and then will make a decision as to what to do. Sadly, I think it may be time to pull the plug.
Farewell Panasonic CP72S. You shall be missed.
In the meantime I have hooked up a Polaroid DRM-2001G DVD player / Recorder which is overkill, I know but sadly it is the only other player I have which is region free. I suppose if I am unable to find a suitable replacement then my computer may just become my Region Free player.
Either way, I really need to hit the sack and get some sleep.
This morning around 2:00 AM my trusty and faithful player of four years has passed on to that great electronics rack in the sky. I had been watching one of my Civil War DVDs while playing a game on my Macbook when suddenly the disc just stopped. I did the usual inspection and tried again. This time it would not even start. I tried another disc and nothing. Then glancing at the LCD screen was something I feared I would never see: H02.
The H02 error basically means the spindle motor is getting hot and won't turn anymore. This requires replacement of a few parts which, to be honest, I'm not sure I'm willing to spend on this machine. After all, it is now over 4 years old which in electronics terms is rather ancient. I paid $230 for it back then and I suppose I can not complain in that it gave me many thousands of hours of enjoyment. Sometimes I even ran the thing all night long and it still chugged along.
Tomorrow I will try it again and then will make a decision as to what to do. Sadly, I think it may be time to pull the plug.
Farewell Panasonic CP72S. You shall be missed.
In the meantime I have hooked up a Polaroid DRM-2001G DVD player / Recorder which is overkill, I know but sadly it is the only other player I have which is region free. I suppose if I am unable to find a suitable replacement then my computer may just become my Region Free player.
Either way, I really need to hit the sack and get some sleep.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Blog Expands!
After four years of blood and toil and sweat and a lot of empty Diet Pepsi and R.C. Cola cans (not to mention the popcorn and cheese puffs) I have decided to take as monumental a step as a site this irrelevant can take.
What I now plan to do with this blog is to expand it beyond what it has been for the last three and a half years, namely I will now provide commentary on subjects beyond that of the DVDs on my backlog. At the same time I don't want this to turn into an extremely personal blog. You won't see blog posts talking about the cute girl I have eyes on or what I had for dinner but what you will see are posts about television shows I'm currently watching, home entertainment hardware I am using and general thoughts about them as well as media I watch on other formats such as VHS tapes, laserdiscs etc. I may even decide to post about an old hobby I gave up with DVD, fansubs (and I mean those on VHS, not these downloads the kids do of the new CGI junk from Japan.)
It will be an experiement and a work in progress. I also may have some interesting news here in the near future but we shall see.
What I now plan to do with this blog is to expand it beyond what it has been for the last three and a half years, namely I will now provide commentary on subjects beyond that of the DVDs on my backlog. At the same time I don't want this to turn into an extremely personal blog. You won't see blog posts talking about the cute girl I have eyes on or what I had for dinner but what you will see are posts about television shows I'm currently watching, home entertainment hardware I am using and general thoughts about them as well as media I watch on other formats such as VHS tapes, laserdiscs etc. I may even decide to post about an old hobby I gave up with DVD, fansubs (and I mean those on VHS, not these downloads the kids do of the new CGI junk from Japan.)
It will be an experiement and a work in progress. I also may have some interesting news here in the near future but we shall see.
Labels: site news
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Site News April 24, 2007
My apologies for not updating this blog. Unfortunately a lot has been going on with work, homework and the like. I graduate in two weeks and hopefully I'll be able to watch some more.
I also got to go to Anime Boston which was a BLAST! I am glad I got to meet all the people I did and had lots of fun. I also learned a lot and had a few new experiences as well. ;-)
I also bought a Fujiko nurse figure. I borrowed the image below from an eBay auction but it is one slick figure.
I also got to go to Anime Boston which was a BLAST! I am glad I got to meet all the people I did and had lots of fun. I also learned a lot and had a few new experiences as well. ;-)
I also bought a Fujiko nurse figure. I borrowed the image below from an eBay auction but it is one slick figure.
Labels: site news
Monday, November 13, 2006
Some more site news ...
Blogger has switched over to a new format which allows for these little things here where I can add labels to the post so that you, the readers, can more easily find posts of similar nature. It seems cool so I shall give it a shot.
Labels: site news
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
The Great Purge of the Backlog!
After looking at my backlog for quite some time I decided it was time to remove the DVDs of series that I just won't give a second chance to. These will either end up being sold on eBay or sold to friends and in desperation, I may even give some away. Live and learn I suppose.
The titles being removed are:
Wolf's Rain - Vol. 1: Leader of the Pack - with box
Wolf's Rain - Vol. 2: Blood and Flowers
RahXephon - Orchestration 1: Threshold
RahXephon - Orchestration 2: Tonal Pattern
RahXephon - Orchestration 3: Harmonic Convergence
RahXephon - Orchestration 4: Dissonance
RahXephon - Orchestration 5: Synaesthesia
RahXephon - Orchestration 6: Aria
Full Metal Panic! - Mission 01 (w/box)
Full Metal Panic! - Mission 02
Full Metal Panic! - Mission 03
Full Metal Panic! - Mission 04
Full Metal Panic! - Mission 05
Full Metal Panic! - Mission 06
Full Metal Panic! - Mission 07
I didn't remove everything, of course, but for now those are the ones I know that I have a greater chance of sitting through a George Clooney movie than watching.
After that "cleansing" I am now officially at 156 in terms of backlog. Some may call it cheating but I say that it's time to put these bad purchases behind me. Of course it's my list and I'll do it any way I want to. ~_^
After looking at my backlog for quite some time I decided it was time to remove the DVDs of series that I just won't give a second chance to. These will either end up being sold on eBay or sold to friends and in desperation, I may even give some away. Live and learn I suppose.
The titles being removed are:
Wolf's Rain - Vol. 1: Leader of the Pack - with box
Wolf's Rain - Vol. 2: Blood and Flowers
RahXephon - Orchestration 1: Threshold
RahXephon - Orchestration 2: Tonal Pattern
RahXephon - Orchestration 3: Harmonic Convergence
RahXephon - Orchestration 4: Dissonance
RahXephon - Orchestration 5: Synaesthesia
RahXephon - Orchestration 6: Aria
Full Metal Panic! - Mission 01 (w/box)
Full Metal Panic! - Mission 02
Full Metal Panic! - Mission 03
Full Metal Panic! - Mission 04
Full Metal Panic! - Mission 05
Full Metal Panic! - Mission 06
Full Metal Panic! - Mission 07
I didn't remove everything, of course, but for now those are the ones I know that I have a greater chance of sitting through a George Clooney movie than watching.
After that "cleansing" I am now officially at 156 in terms of backlog. Some may call it cheating but I say that it's time to put these bad purchases behind me. Of course it's my list and I'll do it any way I want to. ~_^
Labels: site news
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
First Blog Entry: Will update with every DVD I watch(I hope)<^_^; Just finished "Dance with the Dragon" starring Andy Lau and Shara (Sharla?) Cheung (a.k.a. Cheung Man). I bought this DVD by mistake actually and for some reason I ended up enjoying this piece of fluff. BTW I thought Shara looked adorable in those glasses.
In short the film was a simple timewaster.
In short the film was a simple timewaster.
Labels: Comedy, Hong Kong, Romance, site news
