2003-11-07 - 1:31 p.m.
i've said it before and i'll say it again: netflix changed my life.
i've tried to convert so many people to netflix, because it's tits. no late charges, no going to the videostore, and a selection that is beyond all comprehension (aside from the cult section in videosmith - that rules!) what i like about netflix is that you get to see all the movies you've always wanted to see with minimal hassle, for chrissake, they arrive at your front door!
i've been privileged to see some pretty good shit lately, so i thought i'd share the love and give some quick reviews.
i finally saw "unforgiven" [like ten years later] and while i hate westerns, this movie was by no means typical. it subverts the entire genre only to have it come full circle in the end. after seeing "mystic river", i have a real appreciation for the artistry of clint eastwood and this movie delivers in the form of lush and gorgeously set-up shots. i was so pleasantly surprised by this film.
i hadn't heard good things about "28 days later" but i thought i'd give it a whirl. i loved it. first off, the lead guy is SO my new boyfriend: a cross between brenda's brother on "six feet under" and maybe a thin ray liotta (think eyes of blue steel)? i have to say welcome back to danny boyle ("trainspotting") who filmed this movie in such a majestic way. i was shocked to note that alex garland (author of "the beach") wrote the screenplay. i mean, how can you go wrong (oh wait, didn't these two collaborate on the movie version of "the beach"? bad very bad!) this movie takes one of my childhood nightmares and makes it real: what would happen if you woke up and everybody was gone? it's cleverly done and highly enjoyable, although don't watch it alone because it's a tiny bit scary.
jerry seinfeld's documentary "comedian" was terribly interesting. i loved how you got to see the jerry behind the "jerry". like showing him singing to his baby daughter or just being completely unsure of himself and his comedy. jerry is totally humanized in this, and i find the fact that he made it pretty brave. it's rather shocking to see jerry (who we all think of this surefooted comic genius) stumbling and fumbling onstage trying to remember his next word. totally humbling and incredibly real. also, i am strangely attracted to jerry seinfeld, always have been.
"the safety of objects" was adapted from am homes' book of the same name. the short stories in this collection are shockingly good, in particular, the one imagining suburban parents on a crack-fueled drug weekend when their kids are visiting grandma. although i was wholly disappointed that this story didn't make it into the movie, many of the rest did including the one called "a real doll" about a boy who is obsessed, in love with, has relations with, and talks to his sister's barbie doll (oh yeah, and the doll talks back). the cast is great: patricia clarkson, dermot mulroney, glenn close, that hot guy who played the drug dealer in "go", pacey from "dawson's creek" and more. this movie was totally overlooked and spent about five minutes in the movie theater, but it and the book it is based on are both worth a closer look.
finally, being affiliated with mtv is often a curse, but in the case of "better luck tomorrow" the movie supercedes that hype. it follows the lives of a group of asian-american teenagers and all that befalls them. it is so well-done and seems more based in reality than any other teenage movie i've seen recently. it has an appallingly good scene in it that is so unbelievably powerful, but if i tell you any more i'd give away so much. just rent it, and be totally surprised by its quality.
ah netflix, is there anything you can't do? my latest batch of rentals consists of: "frances" (with jessica lange about frances farmer featuring one mr. sam shepard - i love this movie!); "the real cancun" (touted to me as "the real world with sex" - sign me up!); and "the french connection" (starring the great and powerful gene hackman who i am currently obsessed with - if you've never seen coppola's "the conversation" get thee to a video store immediamente!) for $20 a month, netflix* won't steer you wrong.
*netflix is not a cult. i am not brainwashed by netflix. i also do not work for netlflix.
