Adventures From My Netflix Queue: Cashback

broderic on March 15, 2012

One of the first movies I bought off of iTunes was an Oscar nominée for short live action film of 2006, Cashback. While it didn’t win the Oscar, it became fixture on my iPhone for the simple fact that for a long time it was the only movie I had. Not until I figured out how to rip anime torrents did I have something else to watch.

I’ve watched the short film many times, and when I got Netflix I noticed that there was a full length feature similarly titled. How could I not notice. That damn one sheet with the topless girl on it kept popping up as a Netflix recommendation. I wasn’t so sure that it was the same movie, but I eventually added it to my queue. After several months it has finally popped to the front.

Cashback, the feature, expands on the story from the short. Ben Willis is working the night shift at the local grocery. He’s working his way through art college. It gives him the opportunity to stop time and draw the lady patrons naked. But it wasn’t all that. The back story included his breakup with his girlfriend, causing him insomnia, forcing him to take the night job to keep from being up all night, and falling in love with his co-worker.

Yup. It was a love story.

It was also a story about the work place. His supermarket was filled with the standard characters — an extreme stunt biker, the biker’s obnoxious hanger on, and the manager a la Michael Scott except into football. While he doesn’t hate his work or co-workers his passion for art makes him an outsider. He’s got ambition and while he gets over his breakup, he’ll make some money at work.

That’s about it. I really don’t have much to say except for boobies. Yeah, it wasn’t so bad as a film, but it really didn’t go beyond the short. I think that it could’ve been better if it focused more on his time stopping power. But it did have a wonderful moment: after being caught kissing his ex by his co-worker, whom he likes, he spends days in stop motion time trying to figure out how to win her back. All he knows is that he has to get her back, because he loves her. He shows it in an art show which I found somewhat creepy, but I don’t know – do girls dig that? Well, at least it had that moment in the movie.

One last note, did Trainspotting influence every British movie or what?

3 of 5 stars.

Never Do

broderic on March 13, 2012

The only version of this song I can find is one without the hilarious popup notes. Now it looks like a regular rap video which this was trying to make fun. Clearly its potency has been emasculated.

You, sir, are no chef

broderic on March 10, 2012

I’ve had some of the dashi I made for ramen taking up space in my freezer for a few months now. I also have a ton of shiro miso in the cupboard. I think I’ll make some miso soup. How hard can that be?

First, I thaw out the last of the dashi and get it boiling on the stove. It’s about a cup and half of dashi. I then decide that I should put some vegetables in the soup, so I slice up a carrot and throw it in the boiling dashi. I cook this for a few more minutes. In a moment of stupidity, I decide to throw some wakame seaweed in as well. After all, most of the miso soup served at your garden variety Japanese restaurant is contains wakame (and tofu). Then comes the miso. Just 1 tablespoon. I let this cook for another few minutes then plate and serve.

Blecc! I can only get throw a couple of spoonfuls before I throw it all away in disgust.

First of all it is too salty. I always thought it was 1 tablespoon per cup, but now I know that it should be less. The dashi probably adds to the salt as well. As far as the carrots and wakame go, they don’t do so well together. I should stick to the tried and true wakame and tofu recipe or maybe find some other vegetables that would work with carrots. What’s scaring me is that I had some sardines staring me in the face and I wanted to add it to the mix.

All my attempts at Japanese cooking needs more research.

Moe Bear-tan

broderic on March 10, 2012

Sae-chan as a bear

Once more with a lame and meager blog post. Spinning wheels here with nothing interesting to say. So here’s a nice screencap from Amagami SS+ anime currently showing in Japan. It’s a pretty ridiculous show. It’s kind of hard to describe if you don’t want to know about it. I’m posting it for my own benefit.

Quote of the Day [3.06.12]

broderic on March 6, 2012

“Lumbergh’s gonna have me work on Saturday. I can tell already. I’m gonna end up doing it, because, uh, because I’m a big pussy, which is why I work at Initech to begin with.”

Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston), Office Space

Safe House

broderic on March 6, 2012

I don’t think I have much to say about Safe House. It’s standard action fare — everyone mailing it in. Lots of close ups. Very grainy high definition video. It will be on video very soon. I don’t think you should watch it unless you are a Ryan Reynolds or Denzel completist.

3 of 5 stars.