I just signed up for Netflix earlier this year due to the fact that Dallas is not a pedestrian-friendly city. By the time you make your way to the nearest video store, you find that your selection is not as varied as you would hope, and if you end up with a movie, you find yourself having to get back in the car and drive yet again across town to return it. Netflix has been a nice way to help make my efforts to live the pedestrian lifestyle in a city like Dallas a little easier. Now if only a small corner grocery would find it’s way into Deep Ellum, I’ll be set.

In the spirit of all the movie awards taking place right now, I thought it would be a nice “year-in-review” post to list of my Top 5 favorite rentals that I have received through Netflix over this past year.

1) C.R.A.Z.Y. :: Date rented – 12/19/06
I don’t remember hearing anything about this movie when it was out in the theaters. Maybe it’s because this is a gay-themed, French-Canadian movie and I live in Dallas, TX. I was all around amazed at this movie. The filming, acting, and story were so well done that I found myself watching this twice before I could put it back in my mailbox.

2) Dead Man :: Date Rented – 03/23/06
The joy of Netflix is that you get to catch up on all those movies that have been recommended by your friends, but for some reason or another had just never gotten around to renting them yet. Jim Jarmusch was high on the friend-recommend-directors-to-check-out list, and Dead Man delivered. Quarky, beautifully shot, and filled with scenes that stick in your brain.

3) The Office: BBC version :: Date Rented – 07/24/06
I’m glad I had the chance to watch the BBC version of The Office before I had the chance to see an episode of the US version. The US version really doesn’t compare to the British version. Ricky Gervais’ writing and humor really is the reason this show was so successful.

4) Gangs of New York :: Dare Rented – 08/15/06
Another movie I had been wanting to see for quite some time, with really no reason why I had not gotten around to it earlier. I got a little confused as to who was fighting who by the end, but that’s probably because I was completely swept into the cinematography and the outstanding performance by Daniel Day-Lewis.

5) Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior :: Date Rented – 02/15/06
I remember watching this movie twice. The fight scenes were fast-paced and beautiful. The story was along the lines of classic kung-fu flicks, which are pretty brain-less, but the art is in the choreography anyway, not the writing. But this review is reminding me of another martial-arts movie that I rented this year…Jet Li’s Unleashed. That was another well-choreographed movie to watch.