lazy diarist easily distracted by flashing pictures; rabid fans hungry for updates.

sorry collapsing, a lot of my free time has been devoted to my new girlfriend, netflix. if only she ever bought me dinner to go with the movies, we might be on to something. i am tearing through my queue though, seeing several movies i’ve been meaning to see forever (the whole reason i joined up) and loving my re-entry into the movie-buff realm. before this i felt like i was losing touch with the film community, i’d seen so few things this year. being back on the horse though, let me recommend a few movies to you if you haven’t already seen them. and i hate reviews that take the fun out of movies so mine will be careful not to.

the spanish prisoner – 4 stars (out of 5)

this was a great flick. twisty con movie from david mamet, with a very mamet script full of literate dialogue. kind of strange characters but definitely fun to watch and any doubts you may have will subside once you get into it.

miller’s crossing – 5 stars (out of 6…just kidding)

why hadn’t i seen this movie a long time ago? a mobster movie from the directors of the big lebowski? starring gabriel byrne and john turturro (possibly the best character actor ever), plus steve buscemi and that guy with the moustache whose name i don’t know but who was also the shop owner in the crow and the gumshoe in lebowski, and who nailed his part in this movie? and all in a film with tommyguns, which are like spanish fly to my cinematic sex drive? don’t make the same mistake i did. i plan on buying this on dvd as soon as i can, it was so great, so you can even borrow it if you have to.

the maltese falcon – 4 stars

classic for a reason; good plot and cool characters in a sam spade story make it hard to go wrong by my tastes, but i could admit to this possibly being a guy movie. bogey don’t take guff from nobody. plus watching movies from 1941 makes you feel classy.

and that’s only the first week, so expect a slew more over the next few months until my intervention — i think i may have a dvd addiction.

[now hearing this: nada.]