here's what i watched in october and my silly comments.

the l word: season 5 - like i said before, season 4 was the first season that i really got into this show. season 5 aired in january and i considered getting cable so i could watch it instead of waiting for the dvd release. after watching season 5, a couple things that i was wanting to happen did. a couple characters got dropped but that's ok because i wasn't into them. but what the fuck is up with jenny? she is super annoying and still around, wtf?!?! i'm also thoroughly confused now as to where bette lives because she apparently doesn't live on the west side... but i thought it was close to the planet and that the planet was in west hollywood. whatever. i still feel like this show is a poor version of "queer as folk" and at least with "queer as folk" i didn't hate any of the characters. the self-reflexivity and LA references were a bit funny in this season but the lingering battle between lesbian hangouts was too drawn out. i read that in january season 6 will start but it will be very short with only 8 episodes. wonder if they'll wrap up all story lines in nice little everything will be wonderful hollywood endings.

indiana jones and the legend of the crystal skull - i so do not understand why they even bothered to make this one. i knew nothing of the plot before i watched this. they tried too hard to reference and recreate the past instead of continuing on with the essence of indiana jones and creating a fun film. utter crap.

heavy metal in baghdad - i don't remember how or when but i felt like i had already seen this documentary before. maybe i've just seen one too many pieces on heavy metal in iraq. once i watched this, i realized i hadn't seen it before. perhaps i just saw some preview scenes online or on tv back in the day when i had cable access. this film was pretty good, especially if you just try to think about the people and relate to them. imagine if you were caught in the middle of the war. all your conditions around you, all the death and chaos, they had nothing to do with you and were beyond your control. but somehow you just got to keep on living and surviving. if you manage to flee to another country, will anyone even help you? will you get denied entrance and have to go back? or for the rock fans out there, due to conditions around you, you can't even listen to what you want publicly, dress how you want publicly, style your hair the way you want publicly, etc. i think that aspect might touch some young people. makes you realize all the things you take for granted. the freedom to just be yourself, the comfort and safety of our surroundings, and the general ability to live life the way you want to.

to live - damn this was a good film. there were a couple of heart-wrenching scenes that really got to me and choked me up. it kinda makes me wonder what chinese today think about watching movies like this. about watching period films on the revolution. if it's nostalgic, if it induces pride or criticism, etc. anyway, i recommend it.

twilight of the golds - twiddle thumbs said we watched this years ago but i don't remember a thing. watching it now, it feels outdated but i bet it still impacts people.

grave of the fireflies - japanese animated movie about siblings during world war 2. it's kinda sad but i'm used to thinking about fucked up things in japan during world war 2. still, it's pretty flawless and i recommend it.

what's cooking? - this was a fun movie. in some ways it seemed so LA and i liked those bits. some of the family fighting moments, well i think many could relate to that.

life and debt - i really didn't know anything about jamaica before watching this movie and it was a documentary on life in jamaica, the debt the country is in, how poor some people are, etc. it talks about the agriculture industry and mentions the free zone with factories. now i realize for some movies it's not a good idea for me to just sit on my thoughts and wait to review many things at once like this. i feel like i had some powerful words to say after i saw this film but they're gone now. basically it comes down to many in the first world might not take the time to ponder all the exploitation that's going on globally that enables us to enjoy the lifestyle that we do at such a cheap price. it's because we consider the lives and values of others to be cheap. we don't care about others, just give us cheap goods. thinking about these things, i really believe in macrobiotics. i believe that the land you live on should provide for you. i don't think you should import foods from far away. to eat food from far away at a cheap price, there's got to be some exploitation going on. if the land can't or isn't supporting the local people, there's gonna be trouble. to me, being able to eat locally grown food is a key element to a sustainable society so the way this film painted the troubles of jamaica and food really struck a chord with me. plus sweatshops are sweatshops and must end. the documentary is not current but still quite powerful.

quadrophenia - i have been wanting to see this film for about 14 years now. back when i was really into britpop, this film seemed quite influential to the scene. it wasn't so bad but it's not exactly something i could watch again and again.