#2: Bully. Netflix continues to add wonderful new things and this movie is one of them. Although it enters the realm of depressing from time to time, Bully is an incredibly well made documentary maintains an uplifting tone despite the subject matter. I would highly recommend it to anyone raising kids, thinking of doing so, or who was ever once a kid themselves.
#4: Circus. A documentary show I just discovered yesterday and ended up watching all six episodes. It provides an in-depth portrayal of all those involved in the running and performing of the Big Apple Circus. Over the course of the series it becomes apparent just how much work goes into the production and how much dedication to the tradition there is for those who were born into circus families.
#2: Dogtooth. If you're on Netflix as much as I am you've probably seen this one on there a few times. However, despite the amount of times I've seen it on Netflix, I had yet to watch it until recently, in fact, I didn't even know what it was about. Having now seen the movie I can highly recommend it to you as an unsettling foreign film about young adults who have been isolated from the rest of the world for their entire lives and therefore can't function as normal people. It's one of those movies that'll stick with you into the following days.
#4: Slums of Beverly Hill. On a much lighter note, I also recently watched this movie on Netflix. Not much to say about it but: Natasha Lyonne, Alan Arkin, Marisa Tomei, dysfunctional family, the 1970s, living in cheap apartments on the outskirts of Beverly Hills. If you're looking for a way to come down from the intensity of Dogtooth, this would be a good movie to turn to.
#1: "Home Again" - Oingo Boingo. According to the Portlandia from two weeks ago, because I had an asymmetrical haircut a little while back, I should also (assumably) know Oingo Boingo. So, here's proof that I'm not a cultural tease. Also, I just love this song.
#2: Sassy Pants. Trying to break away from documentary recommendation for a bit with this movie about a home-schooled and ridiculously sheltered girl who breaks free of her mother's clutches to a new life with her dad and his live-in boyfriend Haley Joel Osment. Basically, one of the main reasons to watch this is to see the kid from The Sixth Sense play an adorable gay boy in cut-offs with scene hair.
#3: "Place In the Country" - Adam Ant. Sticking to a similar vein as Oingo Boingo, here's a fun Adam Ant tune.
#4: A Bag of Hammers. Another random Netflix find, this is a surprisingly sweet movie about two con men (Jason Ritter and Jake Sandvig) who take it upon themselves to take care of the 12-year-old boy from next door who's having a rough time with his single mother.
#5: "Thirteen" - Big Star. Just because it makes me happy.
Happy Friday everyone. So, since my birthday is tomorrow, I thought I'd do a special 6 suggestion Watchin' Stuff Lite for you all, with some of my favorite age themed songs. Please, do enjoy.
#1: "At Seventeen" - Janis Ian, yes, like the Mean Girls character and I'm sure that wasn't a coincidence seeing as this song plays in the background of a fairly unfitting scene. But, anyway, this was one of my favorites from when I actually was seventeen.
#2: The West Wing. Since I haven't given a TV suggestion in a couple of weeks I thought I'd throw in one I'm watching currently. I recently noticed this show on Netflix and decided to give it a watch. Though not the most exciting show ever, there are some great story lines and some wonderful characters. Overall, I'd say it's a nice, entertaining fairy tale about good-hearted politicians trying to do what is right for the country.
#4. Zeitgeist: The Movie. Going back to my documentary kick, I have to recommend this one because it blew my mind. It's a fairly heavy and dense look at conspiracy theories and relatively unknown truths about the origins of religion. Even if you don't want to take the whole thing at face value, it's still nice to see another side of the story.
#6: "Leaves That Are Green" - Simon & Garfunkle. I was 21 years when I started this blog, I'm 22 now, but I won't be for long. Time hurries on and the leaves that are green turn to brown.
Five more suggestions for you, brought to you by me.
#1: "Walking On Broken Glass" - Annie Lennox. Feeling a little nostalgic, I guess, so here's one of my favorite childhood songs. Also, John Malkovich and Hugh Laurie in the same video? Magic.
#2: Exit Through the Gift Shop. Continuing with my documentary kick here, Exit Through the Gift Shop is one of the best I've seen on Netflix so far. At the outset, this seems like a straightforward documentary about the street art movement but it turns out to be a lot more. I don't want to spoil the twist at the end so all I'll say is, it's definitely worth the hour and a half.
#3: "Not Living At All" - Mr. Airplane Man. This is a great band and I feel like more people should know that about them (I wanted to post "Shakin' Around" but I couldn't find a video for it on YouTube, you should look up the song if you like this one, or even if you don't).
#4: This Film Is Not Yet Rated. Like Exit Through the Gift Shop, this is one of the best documentaries I've seen on Netflix in the past few weeks. This one covers the hypocrisy and agenda-pushing system behind the movie rating system in a very effective and entertaining way. It is pretty infuriating but in every way a documentary should be really.
#5: "59th Street Bridge Song" - Simon & Garfunkle. This just makes me happy.
Happy Friday, folks. Here are five more suggestions for those who still come around.
#1: "Because the Night" - Patti Smith. Patti Smith songs really need know explanation or justification, as far as I'm concerned.
#2: Following Sean. In the 60s, the director of this movie made a short film about a 4-year-old kid named Sean who lived in the apartment above his with his hippie parents in the Haight. Following Sean is basically a follow-up to that short film where the director catches up with Sean 27 years later to see how he ended up. I definitely recommend this movie, but also, check out the original short film, Sean, on YouTube because it's adorable.
#3: "Blood" - Band of Skulls. I heard this song a couple weeks ago when I was out with a friend of mine and quickly realized I needed some Band of Skulls.
#4: The "Up" Series. These movies are fairly similar to Following Sean in that they catch up with the characters at different points in their lives. A British television special from 1964, the original "Up" film, Seven Up, documented a group of seven-year-olds from very different social backgrounds. Every seven years since, the film crew has come back for new films (7 Plus Seven, 21 Up, 28 Up, 35 Up, 42 Up and 49 Up, all on Netflix. 56 Up came out last year but is not on Netflix yet) to see where they all are and what their lives have become. Some stories are a little sad and some of the kids drop out at some point but it's very interesting to see the group as they move through their lives and see their aspirations come true or fall flat. But, be forewarned, there's a lot of repeat in each film so you might want to fast forward a bit.
#5: "Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl" - Broken Social Scene. This is something I listened to a lot when I actually was a 17-year-old girl and still enjoy it whenever it comes up on shuffle.
Well, it's Friday folks and that means it's time for more Watchin' Stuff Lite. So, here are some recommendations for those who are interested.
#1: "Bang Bang" - Terry Reid. I'm really just a fan of Terry Reid across the board, in fact I might post more by him in the future, but for now I give you his version of "Bang Bang" because, although there are many good versions of this song, this is my favorite.
#2: First Position. In the last week or so I've been really into documentaries on Netflix and this is one of the best I've found thus far. I've had a bit of a dancing theme on this blog for a month or so unintentionally, and this movie falls in line with that. So, if you enjoy watching talented kids dedicate all their time to dance in order to make their dreams come true (as I apparently do), you should check out this documentary.
#3: "Anything, Anything" - Dramarama. I'm surprised I never played this song on the show because it's one of my favorites off of one of my favorite albums. But, at any rate, here it is.
#4: Craigslist Joe. Another documentary I watched this week, this one follows a man named Joe as he attempts to live for a month solely off of the goodness of people he meets on Craiglist. Though it might not sound terribly exciting from the outset, it's really very entertaining an endearing. Definitely worth a watch.
#5: "Sweet Thing" - Van Morrison. One of my favorite Van Morrison songs and a very nice one to fall asleep to.
All right folks. Here's a little more Watchin' Stuff Lite for everyone.
#1: "Accidents Never Happen" - Blondie. I didn't really play any Blondie on the actual show which was kind of an oversight on my part. This week I was listening to a bit of Eat to The Beat so I figured I'd put up one of my favorites off the album. Hope you enjoy.
#2: Tank Girl. I wish I could say I was cooler and have loved this movie since I was a kid but, alas, I just saw it for the first time this week. Can't say it was the best movie I've ever seen but it certainly does have a quality (and a great soundtrack) and it's definitely worth a watch, even if only to understand its cultural relevance.
#3: "Hall of Mirrors" - The Distillers. At some point near the end of the show I got the urge to put this song in an episode, unfortunately I never really found a good place for it so here it is for your listening pleasure.
#4: Django Unchained. Now, I'm sure everyone and their brother was raving about this one on your Facebook feed a couple weeks back so this isn't one of my best suggestions, but still. I'm just saying, it's not just hype, this was a legitimately good movie that is definitely worth a watch.
#5: "Blank Generation" - Richard Hell & the Voidiods. I've loved this song for years but had kind of forgotten about it until I heard it again in Tank Girl. Check it out, it's some good stuff.
Good evening, friends! So, despite the fact that Watchin' Stuff the radio show has come to an end, I figured that doesn't mean I can't continue to suggest things to those who visit the blog. And for that reason, I give you "Watchin' Stuff Lite" Vol. 1. A hint of Watchin' Stuff flavor without all the banter and games. Anyway, here are some things I thought I'd share:
#1: Here's a song I meant to play on the show at some point but didn't get a chance to.
"Hey" - Pixies
#2: Portlandia season 3 starts tonight, but while you wait, you should really check out the winter special, "Winter In Portlandia." It seems my favorite show hasn't lost it's touch and we're in for some fun this season.
#3: Here's a song I'm kind of into. A little different than my usual plays on the show, but fun nonetheless.
"Bad Girls" - M.I.A.
#4: The Supersizers Go..., available on hulu, find it and watch it. Introduced to me by "friend of the show" Chloe Holtzman, The Supersizers Go... is a British history/culinary show that follows a food critic, Giles Coren, and his comedian friend, Sue Perkins, as they attempt to live as people from various English time periods (although they do go to Ancient Rome and the French Revolution also) for a week. Although it is informative, it's also incredibly entertaining and always good for some laughs.
A few days back, I posted a full list of all our "watch it on Netflix" suggestions from season one. If you need more suggestion, here is the full list of all "find it and watch it" suggestions from season two.
Since Watchin' Stuff has come to an end, I thought I'd compile a few lists of things discussed throughout the series. First up, here's a list of all our season one "watch it on Netflix" suggestions, complete with our top 3 (or 4) favorites. So please, take a gander and feel free to heed our suggestions.
Looking for a few winter television/movie suggestions, well look no further because here are our "find it and watch it" suggestions from episode 26, One Show.
Check it out all, here are our "find it and watch it" suggestions from episode 24, The Surprise Show as well as a list of other shows and movies we discussed along the way.
For those who are curios, here is our "find it and watch it" suggestion of the week as well as a list of all the shows and movies discussed throughout episode 23, Obsessions.
This week's suggestion: The Daily Show (but more specifically their coverage of Fox New's reaction to the election results)
Other shows and movies mentioned throughout the episode:
