StrivingLife presents ...

At their best, the Japanese are one of the few groups that can create, again and again, movies that touch upon great philosophical questions and ideas. Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer, is one of those great philosophical movies that you could watch again, just for the dialogue.

First of all, I can't quite remember how this movie was recommended to me. I seem to believe that it was referred to on a forum, where people were mentioning what movies they had seen, one of whom mentioned Waking Life.

I bookmarked the wiki entry, and let it pass for a couple of days. When I decided to try out Netflix, I figured now was a good time to try it out. And I must say, it was a great way to start out.

According to Netflix,

In this second feature from the Urusei Yatsura series, Ataru and his alien-princess girlfriend, Lum, prepare to enjoy the annual carnival at Tomobiki High School with their friends. But they soon get a funny feeling that they're living the same day over and over again. Just when they think they have the mystery solved, they end up back where they started. Will the teens ever wake up from their twisted nightmare?

What really interested me was the idea of reality turning out to be merely a dream. Again, Waking Life. Without attempting to spoil the movie, which I may do, I was expecting the movie to move in one direction. Namely that the day would really keep repeating itself. However, we actually enter in after time has begun to repeat itself (I think). The beginning is a little weird, because you don't really know what's been going on for the last two days. There's also a snippet at the beginning which doesn't make sense until later on.

In addition, at the end of the movie, there's something of a lingering question. Exactly how have things ended?

The animation is great, but definitely shows it's age. However, I wouldn't consider that a bad thing at all. (But then, I like watching movies where you can see the use of older technology.) There were a number of shots that I thought were absolutely, and utterly, well drawn. Japanese voice acting was good, and since I did not listen to the English track, I can make no comments on it.

All-in-all, I'd watch this movie again, and would even purchase it. The ideas presented are not unique, and have been used over and over again. However, the way that they are presented gives the movie a very unique feel. I would also consider watching this movie with people interested in the ideas that this movie presents. This movie is not for everyone, but could be watched by anyone - I think the sometimes complex dialogue would be the only thing that would turn people off.

Watched with Japanese with English Subtitles on September 28, 2006 (via Netflix).
Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)
Rewatchability: High
Dialogue: High
Style/feel: High
Pace: Perfect
Enjoyability: High
Plot: High

Rated: NR
1 hr 30 min
1984
Watched with Japanese with English Subtitles

Movies that could be considered similar: Brazil, Vanilla Sky, Waking Life.

Want to see what else I've watched through Netflix? Check out the list, and my attempt to track Netflix shipping for Madison WI.

So, the Isthmus picked up my post on Netflix.  That's very nice of them (I wonder how it was picked up?).  In the course of looking over the Isthmus' site, I noticed another post title "Dear City of Madison" Ouch. Reading his post first, and his profile second (which included his location), the title of this post came to mind.

Years ago, when both my sister and I were living at home, we'd fight, as siblings under one roof and with only one TV, often do.  Her time would be spent surfing around, from one channel to another.  As we got older, and we were both able to drive, she took that habit with her to the car and the radio.  (Thankfully, I'm older, so I never picked up her horrid habits.)

Anywho, Rad's post reminded me of my sister, and what I told her many times, about surfing through radio stations.  At first it was long, but as time passed, and my words had no impact on her, it shortened up.  To sum, "If you keep channel surfing, you're bound to keep running into commercials."  Id est, you're bound to keep running up against crap.  Sure, everyonce in a while you'll hit something good, but your chances of listening to the entire song are slim.  Only by picking a station and sticking with it are you truly able to determine whether the station is any good.

In Madison WI, we have a radio station which is an excellent example of this, 105-1 Charlie FM "We play everything".  And indeed they do.  70s, 80s, 90s, today.  Pop, rock, country, but (other than that one Aerosmith song) no rap that I know of ...  Heck, sometimes there's crap that I don't want to listen to, but if you stick around until the end of the song, you'll get something else.

Do we have a lot of country stations?  Yeah, yeah we do.  But, what do you expect from an area that, although we live in city, we play in the country?  I suppose that's one of the things that really separates us from the larger cities - the fact that we can spend a short time in the car and hit a lake or river, or a beautiful park, with trails.  Citizens of Madison do not have to sit around their houses, watching TV, or drive from one mall to another, listening to the radio.  We've got much more we can do.

Are we missing a great jazz station?  Perhaps.  I know NPR/WPR plays jazz every once in a while, and perhaps Magic 98 still plays jazz on Sundays?  (It's been a long time since I've listened to them.)  There's at least a couple UW stations that also play a wide range of music, so I doubt there isn't some jazz play on one of them.

Of course, our stations also move around a lot as well.  I think 98.1 and 104.1 are the only stations that haven't changed at least once since I've lived in the Madison area (over 10 years).  But we try new things, and we find a station that we like.  And we don't listen to one station all the time.  I've six presets on my car's radio, and they are all different.  There's two that I switch between a lot, but every once in a while I hit one of the others.  We like change in Madison, we're progressive.

Another great thing we've got is State St.  On the weekend, there are few places as musically rich as State St.  There's a great guy near the Capitol who plays one hell of a sax.  On the opposite end, bands setup near the University Bookstore, and towards the middle there's a number of places for groups to setup and play.  The various Unions, too, house many events.  Sitting off the lake, on a hot summer evening, listening to the music ...  Heck, concerts on the square.  On a good day, head over to Potbellies and listen to the music while you eat.  Heck, Madison WI is in a class by it's own.

Rad comments on two stations in his article: The Current (which appears to be MPR - or WPR here in Wisconsin, so we've got that) and Drive 105 (which appears to be alternative, which we've also had, and I'm sure have still).  To this, I answer, read the title of this post.  One likes a station not based on their first impression, but on the impressions of many hours.  You may stop and listen to a station if you stumble upon a song you enjoy, but you don't stay on a station after hearing that one song - it's a number of good songs that keeps bringing you back.

So, spend more time in Madison.  Move to a station and stick with it.  If you're down in Madison to see Madison-ians, then listen to the stations they listen to.  You're bound to run into songs that you don't like, but that's the way it is ...  Head downtown, and check out postings.  There's bound to be a local group putting on a show that's in line with your tastes.

In short, do our stations suck?  Sometimes, sure.  But find a large city that doesn't have some, some of the time.  Besides, we've got a nice mix of stations, and a beautiful city that ensures we can find something to listen to.

Over the next couple of weeks, at least, or over the next couple of months, if I'm happy with Netflix, I'll be posting here information about where I received my Netflix movies from, what kind of turn-around I've received, and etcetera. My hope is that this information will be beneficial to other Madison folks who may be interested in Netflix.

I've signed up for the $9.99 plan, which offers unlimited rentals, but one DVD out at a time. (Update: This also includes 10 hours, per billing period, of online viewing.) (Update 7/31/2007: The price went down to $8.99 a month, which also means that there's only 9 hours of online viewing per month. Eh.) I've got 19 movies in my queue - some that I've seen, some that I have not. (Note: queue number is horribly out of date.) Some are classics, some are newer. Some are obscure, some are quite popular. Since I've got a two week preview, I figure I may as well keep the queue nice and full.

Know of some classic flicks I should see (by classic, in this case, I'll mean pre-1970)? Post them below! 

The times

09/26/2006 (T) - Signed up. First movie expected to ship Wednesday, with expected delivery of one day. 19 movies in queue, plus one saved.
09/27/2006 (W) - First movie expected to be delivered on Thursday. 18 movies remaining in queue, plus 12 added for a total of 30, plus one saved.
09/28/2006 (R) - First movie received and watched (Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer). Repackaged and shipped to PO Box 7997, Madison WI 53707-7997.
10/02/2006 (M) - Movie returned and another sent. Expected delivery on Tuesday.
10/03/2006 (T) - Second movie received and watched (Seven Samurai: Criterion Collection). Repackaged and sent to same address as before.
10/05/2006 (R) - Third movie expected to be delivered on Friday.
10/06/2006 (F) - Third movie received and watched (Being John Malkovich). Repackaged and shipped to PO Box 3079, Milwaukee WI 53201-9683 (which is a different facility).
10/09/2006 (M) - Movie received by Netflix. Next movie expected to ship today and delivered Wednesday.
10/10/2006 (T) - Fourth movie received and watched (Bowling for Columbine). Repackaged and shipped to PO Box 7997, Madison WI 53707-7997.
Charged $10.54 for the month, which equates to 3 or 4 movies during my trial.
10/12/2006 (R) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie expected to be delivered Friday.
10/13/2006 (F) - Fifth movie received and watched (Grave of the Fireflies). Repackaged and shipped to Madison, same PO Box as above.
10/16/2006 (M) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie expected to be delivered Tuesday.
10/17/2006 (T) - Sixth movie received and watched (North by Northwest). Repackaged and shipped to Madison, same PO Box as above.
10/19/2006 (R) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie expected to be delivered Friday.
10/20/2006 (F) - Seventh movie received and watched (2001: A Space Odyssey). Repackaged and shipped to Madison, same PO Box as above.
10/23/2006 (M) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie expected to be delivered Tuesday.
10/24/2006 (T) - Eighth movie received and watched (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room). Repackaged and shipped to Madison PO Box.
10/26/2006 (R) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie expected to be delivered Friday.
10/27/2006 (F) - Ninth movie received and watched (Yojimbo). Repackaged and shipped to PO Box 805618 in Chicago IL! Huh.
10/30/2006 (M) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie to be received by Tuesday.
10/31/2006 (T) - Tenth movie received, but not watched, since House is on tonight. I'll be watching the movie tomorrow, and review should follow.
11/01/2006 (W) - Tenth movie watched and returned (Gangs of New York). Two discs, and I got two envelopes - one for Milwaukee and one for Chicago. Returned in one package to the Milwaukee address.
11/03/2006 (F) - Movie received by Netflix, and next movie mailed. Expected delivery of Saturday (next day).
11/04/2006 (S) - Received and watched Outlaw Star: Vol. 1: Disc 1. Movie will be mailed to Madison PO Box Monday morning.
11/07/2006 (T) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie mailed. Expected delivery of Wednesday (next day).
11/08/2006 (W) - Movie received, but not watched. I'll probably do so tomorrow.
11/09/2006 (R) - Watched Munich (no review). Movie mailed to Chicago (using extra from 11/01 movie, instead of Madison envelope received with movie).
11/13/2006 (M) - Netflix has received the movie, and the next movie has been mailed. Expected delivery tomorrow (the 14th).
11/14/2006 (T) - Movie received, but not watched. I'll be doing so tomorrow.
11/15/2006 (W) - Watched Princess Mononoke, and mailed to Madison (using envelope received).
11/17/2006 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie shipped.
11/18/2006 (S) - Received and watched Citizen Kane (no review) and mailed to Carol Stream IL.
11/21/2006 (T) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie shipped.
11/22/2006 (W) - Received and watched Run Lola Run (damn good, but no formal review). Mailed to Madison.
11/27/2006 (M) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie shipped.
11/28/2006 (T) - Received, but did not watch the movie.
11/29/2006 (W) - Watched and mailed The Third Man. Mailed to Madison using an extra (no way I'm only watching one move this week).
12/01/2006 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie mailed.
12/02/2006 (S) - Movie received, but I'll watch it tomorrow.
12/03/2006 (Su) - Watched and returned Neo Tokyo (3 1/2 of 5). Mailed to Bedford Park IL (it's either that or Chicago - might as well let it go a little further).
12/05/2006 (T) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie shipped.
12/06/2006 (W) - Received and watched Syriana. Received a Madison envelope, but I've opted to use an old Chicago mailer.
12/08/2006 (F) - Netflix has received my last movie and sent out the next.
12/09/2006 (Sa) - Received The Seventh Seal. Watched over the weekend (Sunday) and will be mailed Monday to the Milwaukee address.
12/13/2006 (W) - Movie's received by Netflix and next movie shipped.
12/14/2006 (R) - Cold Mountain received and watched. Returned in new envelope to Madison address.
12/18/2006 (M) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
12/19/2006 (T) - Received The Talented Mr. Ripley and returned in received envelope to Madison WI.
12/21/2006 (R) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
12/22/2006 (F) - Received The Deer Hunter and mailed to Carol Stream IL (durr).
12/26/2006 (T) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
12/27/2006 (W) - Received and watched Rashomon, and returned to Milwaukee.
12/29/2006 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
12/30/2006 (Sa) - Received and watched The Maltese Falcon (1941) and put into the mail to Madison.
01/04/2007 (R) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped. (WTF mate?)
01/05/2007 (F) - Received and watched Underworld (2003) and put into the mail to Madison.
01/08/2007 (M) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
01/09/2007 (T) - Received movie, but House M.D. trumped the movie.
01/10/2007 (W) - Watched One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and put into the mail to Madison. Received movie in a Bedford Park mailer.
01/12/2007 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
01/13/2007 (Sa) - Received movie, but not watched.
01/14/2007 (Su) - Watched The Big Sleep (1946) and put into the mail to Carol Stream. I don't know if mail goes out our not on Monday, though ...
01/17/2007 (W) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
01/18/2007 (R) - Received and watched The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) and put into the mail to Chicago. Seriously considering Blockbuster at this point ...
01/22/2007 (M) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
01/23/2007 (T) - Received and watched Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (1990) and put into the mail to Bedford Park (I'll save the Madison one for later).
01/25/2007 (R) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
01/26/2007 (F) - Received and watched The Andromeda Strain (1971) and put into the mail to Madison.
01/29/2007 (M) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
01/30/2007 (T) - Received and watched A Fistful of Dollars (1964) and put into the mail to Madison.
02/01/2007 (R) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
02/02/2007 (F) - Received and watched Appleseed (1988) and put into the mail to Madison.
02/06/2007 (T) - Movie received by Netflix.
02/07/2007 (W) - Next movie shipped. ...
02/08/2007 (R) - Received and watched Soylent Green (1973) and put into the mail to Madison.
02/12/2007 (M) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
02/13/2007 (T) - Received movie, but watched House instead.
02/14/2007 (W) - Watched Hang 'Em High (1968) and put into the mail to Madison. At least I'm getting Madison envelopes ...
02/16/2007 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
02/17/2007 (S) - Received and watched Death Race 2000 (1975) and put into the mail to Madison.
02/21/2007 (W) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
02/22/2007 (R) - Received movie, but didn't watch yet.
02/24/2007 (S) - Watched Solaris (1972) and put into the mail to Madison. Yawn.
02/27/2007 (T) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
02/28/2007 (W) - Received and watched Domino (2005). I can't decide if it's a 4 or 5 star ... Put back into the mail to Netflix.
03/02/2007 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped (should get to me by Saturday, according to Netflix).
03/05/2007 (M) - Received and watched Westworld (1973). Put into the mail to Madison. Not sure why it's a day late.
03/07/2007 (W) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
03/08/2007 (R) - Received and watched Raging Bull (1980). Put into the mail to Madison.
03/12/2007 (M) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
03/13/2007 (T) - Received and watched Romeo + Juliet (1996). Put into the mail to Madison.
03/15/2007 (R) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
03/16/2007 (F) - Received and watched L.A. Confidential (1997). Put into the mail to Madison.
03/19/2007 (M) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
03/20/2007 (T) - Received and watched Patlabor: The Movie (1989) and put into the mail to Madison.
03/22/2007 (R) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
03/23/2007 (F) - Received and watched The Godfather (1972). Put into the mail to Madison.
03/26/2007 (M) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
03/27/2007 (T) - Received next movie.
03/28/2007 (W) - Watched The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). Put into the mail to Madison.
03/30/2007 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
03/31/2007 (S) - Received and watched The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), which I couldn't even finish I was so bored ... Put into the mail to Madison.
04/03/2007 (T) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
04/04/2007 (W) - Received and watched To Catch a Thief (1955) and put into the mail to Milwaukee.
04/06/2007 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
04/07/2007 (S) - Received and watched A Boy and His Dog (1975), and put into the mail to Madison.
04/10/2007 (T) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
04/11/2007 (W) - Received and watched Tenchi the Movie: Tenchi Muyo! In Love (1995), and put into the mail to Madison.
04/13/2007 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
04/14/2007 (S) - Received and watched Harakiri (1962), and put into the mail to Madison.
04/17/2007 (T) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
04/18/2007 (W) - Received and watched Memories (1996), and put into the mail to Milwaukee. The movie starts off strong, but ends with a tried, but true, story.
04/20/2007 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
04/21/2007 (S) - Received the next movie, but didn't watch it quite yet, since mail won't go out until Monday anyways.
04/22/2007 (Su) - Watched Samurai Trilogy 1: Musashi Miyamoto (1952) and put into the mail to Madison.
04/24/2007 (T) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
04/25/2007 (W) - Received and watched Casino (1995) and put into the mail to Madison.
04/27/2007 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
04/28/2007 (S) - Received and watched I, Robot (2004) and put into the mail to Madison. I had heard that the movie was bad, but I found it be worth the time to watch.
05/01/2007 (T) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
05/02/2007 (W) - Received the next movie, but wasn't able to watch it.
05/03/2007 (R) - Watched Ikiru (1952) and put into the mail to Madison.
05/07/2007 (M) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
05/08/2007 (T) - Received the next movie, but wasn't able to watch it.
05/09/2007 (W) - Watched Logan's Run: Special Edition (1976) and put into the mail to Madison.
05/11/2007 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
05/12/2007 (S) - Received and watched The One (2001) and put into the mail to Madison.
05/15/2007 (T) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
05/16/2007 (W) - Received and watched Throne of Blood (1957) and put into the mail to Madison.
05/18/2007 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
05/19/2007 (S) - Received and watched Vertigo (1958) and put into the mail to Madison.
05/22/2007 (T) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
05/23/2007 (W) - Received and watched Sanjuro (1962) and put into the mail to Madison.
05/25/2007 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
05/26/2007 (Sa) - Received and watched Lucky # Slevin (2006) and put into the mail to Madison. Memorial Day weekend, so they won't get it until W?
05/30/2007 (W) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
05/31/2007 (R) - Received and watched Shaun of the Dead (2004) and put into the mail to Madison.
06/02/2007 (Sa) - Watched Perfect Blue (1997) online (1.5 hours of 10).
06/04/2007 (M) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
06/05/2007 (T) - Received the next movie.
06/06/2007 (W) - Watched The Village (2004) and put into the mail to Milwaukee. It'll get picked up in today's mail still.
06/06/2007 (W) - Watched Blood: The Last Vampire (2000) online (total 2.25 hours of 10).
06/07/2007 (R) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
06/07/2007 (R) - Watched Ninja Scroll (1995) online (total 3.75 hours of 10).
06/08/2007 (F) - Received and watched Enemy at the Gates (2001) and put into the mail to Madison.
06/09/2007 (Sa) - Watched Sin: The Movie (1999) online (total 4.75 hours of 10 - restarts tomorrow).
06/10/2007 (Su) - Watched Black Jack: Collection 1: Episode 1 (1997) online (total .75 hours of 10).
06/11/2007 (M) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
06/12/2007 (T) - Received and watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and put into the mail to Madison. Slow, but a good movie.
06/14/2007 (R) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
06/15/2007 (F) - Received next movie.
06/16/2007 (Sa) - Watched Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and put into the mail to Madison.
06/18/2007 (M) - Movie received by Netflix.
06/19/2007 (T) - Next movie shipped from Lakeland, FL ...
06/22/2007 (F) - Received and watched Notorious (1946) and put into the mail to Tampa FL ...
06/25/2007 (M) - Movie received by Netflix.
06/26/2007 (T) - Next movie shipped from Kansas City, MO ...
06/28/2007 (R) - Received and watched Repo Man (1984) and put into the mail to Kansas City, MO ...
07/02/2007 (M) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
07/03/2007 (T) - Received and watched The Omega Man (1971) and put into the mail to Madison WI. Should be picked up Thursday (Wednesday is the 4th ...).
07/05/2007 (R) - Watched Dominion Tank Police Part 1 & 2 (1989) online. Not too bad of a movie, all things considered.
07/06/2007 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
07/06/2007 (F) - Watched Parasite Dolls (2004) online.
07/07/2007 (Sa) - Received and watched Crank (2006) and put into the mail to Madison.
07/08/2007 (Su) - Watched Kai Doh Maru (2003) online. Maybe it's just watching it online, but I just didn't like it ...
07/10/2007 (T) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
07/11/2007 (W) - Received and watched Lord of War (2005) and put into the mail to Madison.
07/13/2007 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
07/14/2007 (S) - Received and watched Metropolis (2001) and put into the mail to Madison.
07/17/2007 (T) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
07/18/2007 (W) - Received and watched A Day at the Races (1937) and put into the mail to Madison. Really nice musical pieces in this movie, and while confusing at parts, nonetheless a good watch.
07/20/2007 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
07/21/2007 (Sa) - Received next movie.
07/22/2007 (Su) - Watched Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) and put into the mail to Madison.
07/24/2007 (T) - Movie received by Netflix.
07/25/2007 (W) - Next movie shipped (huh?) and received, but it was unfortunately cracked rather severely. Reported as damaged.
07/26/2007 (R) - Replacement copy shipped.
07/27/2007 (F) - Damaged movie received by Netflix, and received and watched replacement copy of Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003), and put into the mail to Madison.
07/30/2007 (M) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
07/31/2007 (T) - Received and watched Samurai Champloo: Vol. 1 (2004) and put into the mail to Madison.
08/02/2007 (R) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
08/03/2007 (F) - Received next movie.
08/04/2007 (Sa) - Watched Beautiful Girls (1996) and put into the mail to Madison (for pickup on Monday). Similar to Garden State, save the main character feels some kind of fulfillment and ends up leaving at the end.
08/07/2007 (T) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie shipped.
08/08/2007 (W) - Received and watched The Yakuza (1975) and put into the mail to Madison.
08/09/2007 (R) - Watched Super Size Me (2004) online.
08/10/2007 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie shipped.
08/11/2007 (Sa) - Received and watched Lolita (1962) and put into the mail to Madison.
08/14/2007 (T) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie shipped.
08/15/2007 (W) - Received and watched 28 Days Later (2002) and put into the mail to Madison. At first, I thought I was going to like Shaun of the Dead more, but I think 28 Days Later ended up being just as good ...
08/17/2007 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie shipped.
08/18/2007 (Sa) - Received and watched The Usual Suspects (1995) and put into the mail to Madison. Now, if only I could remember where I had seen this movie before. I didn't think I had seen it, but, from the very beginning, I knew the story ...
08/21/2007 (T) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie shipped.
08/22/2007 (W) - Received and watched Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987) and put into the mail to Madison. This is definitely more off the wall (comedic) than the first, but that doesn't mean that it's full of laughs.
08/24/2007 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie shipped.
08/25/2007 (Sa) - Received and watched Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972) and put into the mail to Madison.
08/28/2007 (T) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie shipped.
08/29/2007 (W) - Received next movie from Netflix.
08/30/2007 (R) - Watched Smokin' Aces (2007) and put into the mail to Madison.
08/31/2007 (F) - Watched Man with the Screaming Brain (2005) online.  Eh. It's unfortunate that the Sci Fi channel started doing movies, as they should have stuck with what they were best at - showing old television shows and Twilight Zone marathons ... Also watched Coffy (1973) online. Pam was the reason I watched it; well worth the watch.
09/04/2007 (T) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie shipped.
09/05/2007 (W) - Received and watched Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Template (1955) and put into the mail to Madison. I think, because it's been so long since I watched the first, I've forgotten what the trilogy is about. Truly unfortunate.
09/07/2007 (F) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie shipped.
09/08/2007 (Sa) - Received and tried to watch Serial Experiments: Lain: Navi (episodes 1 - 4) (1999). Tried to watch in that I only was able to make it through two episodes. Seems like they're trying to be weird to be weird, and I found it overall very boring ... Put into the mail to Madison. Watched Maxed Out (2006) online.
09/09/2007 (Su) - Watched The Darwin Awards (2005) online. Not always funny, but overall, very good and usually pretty dang funny. When did Ms. Ryder become such an interesting actress? See also her role in A Scanner Darkly, for instance ...
09/11/2007 (T) - Movie received by Netflix and next movie shipped.
09/12/2007 (W) - Received movie, but it was damaged (another one cracked in half ...). Reported and put back into the mail. Tried to watch Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? (2006), but gave up after 23 minutes; the guy was driving me bonkers.
09/14/2007 (F) - Damaged DVD received, and next one shipped from Kansas City, MO.  Huh?  WTF mate?
09/16/2007 (Su) - Watched Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) online. Pretty dang good movie, not to mention the theme music ...
09/17/2007 (M) - Received and watched Rollerball: Special Edition (1975). I received a return envelope for MO, but I crossed it out and put the Madison address; we'll see what happens.
09/19/2007 (W) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
09/20/2007 (R) - Received and watched His Girl Friday (1940). The second time I watched it, and still a classic. Put into the mail to Madison.
09/23/2007 (Su) - Watched Toy Soliders (1991) online. Nope, never watched it before, I guess it was just The Lost Boys (long story).
09/24/2007 (M) - Movie received by Netflix and next one shipped.
09/25/2007 (T) - Received and watched Tokyo Godfathers (2003). Unlike what you'd think, the movie is very uplifting. 5+ stars. Put into the mail to Madison.

See information for Year 2 with Netflix. 

Addresses (of mailers used for return shipping)

PO Box 7997, Madison WI 53707-7997 (vast majority)
PO Box 3079, Milwaukee WI 53201-9683
PO Box 805618, Chicago IL 60680-4117
PO Box 5901, Carol Stream IL 60197-5901
PO Box 2500, Bedford Park IL 60499-2500
PO Box 30138, Tampa FL 33630-3138
PO Box 219788, Kansas City MO 64121-9788