before i get fully into planning my weekend activities — happy hour? movies? ping pong? — some friday morning netflix rental reviews:

in the company of men – 4 stars (out of 5)

highly recommended by my film nut friend spencer, i finally got around to seeing this and laughed loudly and often. the two main characters are drawn up so well you can’t help but laugh at almost everything they do. as long as you’re not a weakling who is offended by exagerrated male stereotypical misogyny, i’d say see this. obviously funnier to guys, i’d guess, and the closing scene let me down, but still, good.

igby goes down – 4 stars

i’m a fan of bleak cynical humor, and this movie had it start to finish (starting more on the humor side and ending more on the bleak), which i liked. it also had jeff goldblum, who i think is a funny enough supporting actor to overcome ryan phillipe’s deficiency as one, which i liked. plus it had clare danes, who i will have an eternal crush on thanks to formative junior high years watching my so-called life, which i couldn’t help but like. i wanted to give this 5 stars, but i was just too depressed afterward to be excited about this movie. but in a good way, you know?

the deer hunter – 3 stars

great movie; if it were 2 hours instead of 3. i laughed at the buddy scenes that set up the characters, and the fucked up scenes in vietnam were unforgettable, but there seemed like so much exposition that didn’t deliver in the end i wasn’t sure it was worth all the time i spent watching this movie. and who ends a war film with people singing ‘god bless america’? i mean come on. worth it for the deniro/walken scenes though.

and a nice book review to show i don’t just sit on the couch with a remote in my hand…

glamorama – 4 stars

i’m an ellis fan, otherwise this might have been a 3. he just tells such visceral stories though, i get sucked in. i am afraid for his characters and what manner of descent they will go through before hitting bottom. and he does have an uncanny ability to turn your stomach with written words i find more grotesque than most visual scenes of horror i’ve ever seen in film, which you at least have to respect. starts out with laughs and ends up with bloodbaths — what’s not to like?

[now hearing this: nothing, really. i need to remember one day to bring my firewire to work so i can upload from my ipod somehow.]