Karen Tortora-Lee and Stephen Tortora-Lee would like to announce the marriage of their Netflix Account to their Wii Console.

The bride wore a dazzling red Netflix wrapper; the groom stood wordlessly next to my TV anxiously awaiting her arrival.  From the moment they locked codes it was a divine union.

It’s only been a few weeks, but ever since Netflix gave yet another option to view their catalog instantly I have been virtually glued to my Wii (which is embarrassing, since I bought it months ago specifically for the Wii Fit, enthusiastically boxed a few rounds with a cute little animated guy the first day, threw my shoulder out of whack, and never turned it on again).

But the funniest thing is, Stephen and I are watching more Television now than we did before.  And by Television I mean actual TV Shows.  The bulk of our instant Queue is comprised of shows like The Office, Dexter, Dead Like Me, Columbo, Torchwood, Rescue Me, and Doctor Who – a mishmash of current network TV, cable shows current and completed, BBC shows, and 1970s specials.  There’s something alluring about watching a TV show on your TV – all the while knowing it’s not actual TV that you could get any other way than by creating it with your own magic Wii wand.

But wait!  There’s more!  Since I don’t have cable, shows that have eluded me are now at my finger tips for the watching.  And I can be as fickle as I want with them.  For instance – I couldn’t help but tune into a few “Jon And Kate Plus Eight”s to see if you really could see that train wreck coming way back from Season One. (You could).  But after 3 random episodes from 3 random seasons (something about pumpkin picking, something about a mega garage sale, something about going through a haystack maze) I was done.

I spent one Saturday afternoon watching all the LA Inks I could tolerate – which turned out to be too embarrassingly high a count to admit to here.   Suffice it to say, I had to work backwards and watch a few Miami Inks in order to wean myself off of the whole tattoo culture.  I later stenciled a picture onto my forearm with a sharpie just to see how it felt.

I feel like I’ve just discovered TV for the first time.  And coming from a TV junkie like me – -  that’s saying a lot.  Well done, Netflix and Wii.  May your marriage be a long one.  And may I be guilted into using my Wii Fit to work off all those Colombo episodes that are going straight to my couch potato butt.

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• Film Review: Lät Den Rätte Komma In (Let The Right One In)

Isn’t horror sexy? The chill down your spine, sweaty palms, a prickle in your… No people! Horror is disturbing, scary, exhilarating yes, in an insomnia inducing kind of way. I’m a big horror flick aficionado, not the campy kind, although I do love Sam Rami’s The Evil Dead and have to confess I’ve only seen the first one. But let’s get down to business; let’s get down to one of the best “Netflix Instant Watch” finds for this Halloweek …  you know the kind? When there is nothing on TV and you pop open your laptop and do a lovely genre specific search.

Eli (Lina Leandersson)

Lät den Rätte Komma in (Let The Right One In) is a thrilling psychotic pre-teen vampire tale based on John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel by the same name. It follows Oskar (played with a cold and calculated yet sweet approach by Kåre Hedebrant), a 12 year old who deals with one of the biggest school burdens, bullies … and we are not talking the Glee kind who drench you with a slushie, we are talking hard-core-whip-you-with-a-rod bullies. But Oskar’s life will soon have a turn of events when his new neighbors move in. Queue in 12 year old Eli (played with great maturity by Lina Leandersson).

The two develop a unique bond that soon turns into a love-need relationship (for those of you who find even the slightest intimacy between children disturbing, I suggest Hocus Pocus). They meet at the building’s courtyard at dusk, as Eli is, well, a vampire … the void and loneliness experienced by each on their own is easily filled when they are together. Oskar’s hunger to revenge his bullies is only fed by Eli, who teaches him how to stand up for himself to great extents. When her caretaker is no longer around, she might need of Oskar’s human traits to help her feed, and here lies the question as to his loyalty and love for her.

Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) & Eli (Lina Leandersson).

Director Tomas Alfredson does a supreme job at creating and maintaining tension in the most naturalistic way possible. It is almost as if vampires and the deeds that surround this town because of them, are as normal as say, a pickpocket at the local market.  The raw lighting and haunting beauty of this town outside of Stockholm (mostly shot in Lea, Sweden to guarantee the winter frost effect) become a supporting character that mirrors the beauty of this twisted friendship and the loneliness in the short cold days.

After watching this movie, I would categorize it as more of a thriller, a dramatic-thriller even, as it is not filled with special effects or over produced sound design, but with a sophisticated screenplay (although the subtitles work is very poor, almost grade school grammar), and the moments Eli flies off the handle (even though sparse) are memorable and with enough gore to feed your hunger for horror this Halloween.

A must see.

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• Scene/Unseen – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• The Stranger To Kindness: City Of Strangers (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• The Stranger To Kindness: 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• A Day In The Life … “The Family Shakespeare” By The Numbers
• Netflix + Wii = A Marriage Made In My Television