this week's netflix

First of all, if you aren't signed up for Netflix, you should be. (Don't sign up for the Blockbuster online version. They're evil.) You can store up to 500 films you want to see and adjust their order at will. You can almost always get new releases as soon as they come out - no sold out video shelves. Even more importantly, no late fees! I used to pay approximately $8 per movie if I didn't return it on time, which was almost always. Now I pay an average of $2 per movie, less if it's a particularly anti-social month. As long as you have access to a mailbox, delivery and return are as simple as pie. The only complaint I have is the lagtime between returning movies and getting them back. If you want them for the weekend, you need to mail the old movies by Thursday morning. Luckily, I'm never as desperate for movies as this boy.

This week, I watched three films, two that I was glad to have seen, one that I was not.

Ray: I was predisposed to like this film after seeing Jamie Foxx's Golden Globe award speech, but it was quite entertaining and informative. I had no idea Ray Charles had such a heroin problem. All biopics seem to have the same vibe, but the music was great and Jamie's got my vote for the best male performance Oscar.

The Forgotten: This movie also had an important element to recommend it to me, filmed as it was in DUMBO, my favorite neighborhood I can't afford. However, if there's one thing I hate, it's plot sloppiness. Someone once said, in relation to something slightly more salacious, that a clean plot is a happy plot, and I wish Joseph Ruben and Gerald Di Pego had embraced that notion quite a bit more.

Some Kind of Monster: If you have ever wondered what's it's like to be a rock star trying to grow up and keep your street cred, or if you have ever been to therapy, or if you like to bang your head, or if you are fascinated by public figures spilling their guts, or if you have ever tried to collaborate on a creative project with friends, this is the film for you.