12 posts tagged “netflix”
How about the MPAA, the Motion Picture Association of America?
This Film Is Not Yet Rated is a documentary by Kirby Dick solely about the MPAA, and it's hilarious, infuriating, sad and altogether intriguing.
If you're not familiar, the MPAA is the organization in the United States that puts ratings on all the movies we see. Everything from Shrek the Third to Videodrome, if you saw it in the theater, a panel of "average parents" have seen it and decided who they think it's appropriate for.
Now this all sounds well and good. I mean, it sounds favorable to know what to expect from a movie content-wise, especially if you're a parent. The problem, however comes in with the dreaded NC-17 rating. If your film is rated (or "slapped with," as Kevin Smith points out) NC-17, distributors won't put it out and theaters won't play it. It becomes unreleasable. That, in conjunction with the fact that the members on the MPAA, these supposed "average parents" are secret. Their names are not in the public domain. So now we have these mysterious people, a handful, really, deciding, basically, what you can and cannot see.
Another idea that gets explored in this documentary is the difference between violence and sexual content. As stories about different movies get told, you start to see that violence is fine - show blood, get R. However, when there's as much sexual content in one movie as there is violence in another movie, NC-17 - your movie is unreleasable. Take, for example, the film American Psycho, in one scene, Patrick Bateman drops a chainsaw from the top of his staircase and it lands in a woman. In another scene, he films himself having sex with two prostitutes. What garnered the original NC-17? The sex scene, of course.
Intercut with interviews from filmmakers and film critics is a separate story. In it, Kirby Dick, the director of this documentary, hires a Private Investigator to track down and expose the MPAA raters. This portion in itself could be stretched to an entirely separate film in itself.
Also discussed in this film are the appeals process, which actually include two members of the clergy, for some reason, and a portion in which Kirby Dick submits this film, in which he exposes all the lies and hypocritical nonsense of the MPAA, to that very organization to receive a rating. What rating did he get? Well, I think you know.
Please see this film.
There's a very quick shot within the first few moments of this film that I think summarizes the film perfectly. The scene takes place in the church of the de facto main character, the organizer of the camp's program. She's talking to the children about faith, and she asks the children, "Now, how many of you think that God can do anything He wants to do?" There's a brief cut to several children raising their hands, and then a shot of a small child, an infant, really, sitting in her mother's lap completely aloof. The mother grabs the child's arm and raises it for her. Because, we all know the vast majority of our value systems are instilled in us by our parents.
The film follows a few of the children as they come to terms with their faith: there are two brothers who are home-schooled (because, as the mothers states, the schools don't teach the right values, so they have to themselves) whose parents have taught them an alternate version to the Pledge of Allegiance. There is also a little girl whom we follow at the bowling alley as she solicits the word of the Lord to the patrons and then prays for a strike (she gutterballs it.), and whom we also follow at home, where she tells us that she loves to dance, but she'll only do it for the Lord, and not for the fun of it, something she thinks would be a sin.
Another key moment for me was before the camp started, where the organizer/pastor and her staff are roaming around the main hall at the camp, praying over the pews the children are to sit in, the computers they plan on using for their presentation, and for the electricity to not go out during a predicted storm. They pray that the devil not take over the Powerpoint program because they know that the devil likes to mess with them in any way he can.
In between all these segments are two or three minute segments of the host of a radio show talking about the camp and the Evangelical right, and the overall state of the nation in terms of religion playing too big a part on politics these days, which eventually culminates with a short phone-in interview with the organizer/pastor of the "Kids on Fire" program.
The really skillful thing about this documentary, and this was pointed out to me later on, was that the film was really objective in terms of portraying people involved. Originally, my fiancee and I thought that the object of the film was to decry these programs and the religious right taking over. However, after giving it a little thought, I realized that the film was made such that someone in the religious right, a supporter of this and other programs of the ilk, could watch this film and see it as a testament to families passing on their beliefs to the next generation, and not only their beliefs, but the correct beliefs.
I highly recommend watching this film with someone you can chat about it with.
Animated in a stark, deconstructionist black and white setting, this futuristic Paris backdrop aligns itself somewhere between the clean future of Minority Report and the gritty, futuristic relapse of Bladerunner. Captain Karas (voiced here by Daniel Craig) is assigned the task of finding a kidnapping victim named name Iliona (iliona), a young woman who works for the mega health corporation Avalon. Karas' leads are Bislane, the sister and Muller, Iliona's mentor.
As Karas digs deeper, he finds out some disturbing truths about the case, making more than just the average kidnapping case.
I will say this now - this really is a visually stunning feature. The animation is original and evocative, and the film's view of the future is its own. I must admit, when I watch movies or TV shows set in the future, I pay attention to the setting. Idiocracy, Bladerunner, "Futurama," "Firefly," and so on. These are all different ways of looking at the future. Renaissance's future Paris is advanced, but still rooted in practical everyday functions.
However, the plot fails to live up to its setting and visuals. Beyond all of that, this is a story of a cop who goes out on a run-of-the-mill case, digs too deep, and gets himself into trouble along the way. We've been over this story hundreds of times in the past, and the animation doesn't hide it.
It's definitely a feature to be viewed, especially if you're an animation fan. But be warned that the story is well-worn territory
Under. Rated.
When first happening upon this movie, I read that it was never released into theaters. Why not? It's a Mike Judge flick, and Office Space was and still is loved by millions. Who wouldn't want to release this and cash in? Well, after seeing it, it's easy to figure out. But that doesn't mean this is a bad movie. Quite the contrary, it was really good.
Here's the premise: The military is experimenting in life suspension technologies and rather than use the cream of the military crop, they opt for the most average man in the military, Luke Wilson. Physically, mentally and emotionally he's smack in the middle of every bell curve. They also choose Maya Rudolph, a prostitute, to take part, in exchange for an easing off of her pimp.
The experiment will be suspending the lives of these two lab rats for a full year. However, due to some hiccups in the process, they wake up 500 years later. And surprise! America has become dumber and dumber (and dumber and dumber) over the years.
Now comes the part where this film becomes unbankable in theaters. Give me a biting satire and I'm happy (such is the case for Thank You For Smoking), but I don't think the rest of America would have gotten the joke.
You see, part of the fact that America has gotten increasingly stupid over the years, the American dialect has turned into a mix of hillbilly and urban slang with a southern twang. Carl's Jr., a southern fast food joint, has become a mega-conglomerate, and every water fountain, including the ones in the hospital, serves Brawndo, a Gatorade-like beverage (apparently, Brawndo bought the FDA and the FTC, so it's inescapable).
Back to our characters. Luke Wilson gets sent to prison for not having a barcode on his wrist (the trial scene was hilarious), but escapes due to a genius prison escape plan. He walks up to the guard and says, "I'm in the wrong line, I'm actually supposed to be leaving prison today," and simply walks out the door.
Due to an IQ test he took to determine his prison job, the White House discovers that Luke Wilson is the smartest man in America, and is sworn in as the Secretary of the Interior (during a session in the House of Representin'), and is put in charge of solving all of Uhmerica's problems. First on the list is the dust bowl. Turns out the crops have been continuously watered with Brawndo instead of water (it's got what plants crave!).
Now, it's plainly obvious why it was never released. Who wants to sit in a theater and be made fun of for two hours? Especially if you're a fan of those shmucks at Blue Collar Comedy? I'm pretty sure this film would've provoked more angry letters than riotous laughter.
The downside is that this film had a lot of potential for laugh-out-loud moments. It was all almost there. There are a few scenes that are outrageously funny, but most of them are on the brink of being really funny. But that's the battle of satire of this nature. You want to be really funny, but you don't want the audience to miss the point. Which is to pick up a goddamn book and don't let America sink to the level of allowing the largest Costco ever.
I know this may be a little late, but in classic Jeff form, if a film gets any amount of mainstream acclaim (and this one got a lot), I avoid it altogether.
But let me say now that I really liked this one. Not in the sense that I was wild about it, such as with The Prestige, but in the sense that I was impressed and that it was thought provoking.
This is a remake of one of the most popular movies in Hong Kong, Infernal Affairs. The basic premise is brilliant - the Triads place a young member in cop school, to rise in the ranks, and the police place a young undercover into the streets to rise in the ranks of the Triads. As time goes by, each one has become ambitious go-getters in the imposter roles. It then becomes a race as they each have been put in charge in finding the mole in their respective agencies; in essence, their tasks are to find themselves. Metaphorical!
What I really liked about The Departed is that it managed what few remakes manage to do: use the story of the original, while making the story all its own.
There are plenty of creative differences, but you'll have to watch both to catch them. All I'll say is that I enjoyed the choice to move Hong Kong to Boston and the Triads to the Irish Mob. Too many movies these days use New York and the Italian Mafia, and I'm getting kind of sick of it.
The performances were really good. Even Leonardo Dicaprio, whom I've hated since...well, ever. I like seeing Mark Wahlberg in bigger and bigger movies. And it's kind of funny to hear everyone with a Boston accent. You're used to it with Matt Damon, but Alec Baldwin sounds like Mayor Quimby.
Lastly, the main creative difference I took issue with was the end. I'm not going to spoil it for you, but I will describe the opening credits of Infernal Affairs - just before the opening scenes, there is a quote that says something to the effect of, "The Eighth level of hell is called Continuous hell. It is considered the worst level, due to its continuous nature, hence the name." This is something The Departed completely cut out, and was one of the most compelling themes of the original movie.
After seeing this film, I suddenly realized that the creators of Jonah Hex owe Clint Eastwood a little money.
That said, I fucking loved this movie.
Here's what it's about.
Clint plays a nameless character (one of the other characters calls him "Joe," but it's just his way to refer to the guy) who rides into a ghost town and sees a rift between two groups of citizens that is basically running the town itself dry, including its people. So what does ol' Clint do? He plays both sides, systematically destroying both groups and making a little cash for himself.
If this sounds familiar to you, it is. This one is based upon the story of Yojimbo (itself an adaptation of a novel), another of my favorite movies of all time. This was also remade into Last Man Standing, starring Bruce Willis. So what makes this story so damn entertaining?
It's the character. It's a mysterious character that any actor can add any depth to. Toshiro Mifune lent a little dark humor into the role (which made the movie so historic), and Clint played it straight, the stoic tough-guy. You never really know his real name. Toshiro names himself after his age (Sanjuro, i'm pretty sure meaning 40s) and something he sees outside somewhere. You also never know his motivations, or where he came from before stumbling into town. Is he a do-gooder? You get a little insight when he's asked why he's setting a couple free, when he says, "I used to know someone like you." So does that make him vengeful? It's intriguing.
Netflix has a new feature, no doubt to assuage the movie downloading trend and also to one-up the Blockbuster service, where you can actually watch movies online for free. Here are the details: For every dollar of your monthly premium, you get one hour of free movie-watching. For example, I pay $14.99 a month (tax excluded, which brings it to $16 even a month). This means that I get 15 hours a month free to watch movies online. Having watched this feature using this service, here's a small review:
The quality was surprisingly good - it seemed just about DVD quality, if just a little less than. Definitely watchable, even in full screen. None of this blurriness you can get on internet videos. It requires a consistent internet speed, so if your connection tends to go from excellent to poor, then be prepared to have the movie stopped for a period of time. And if your connection is fast enough, the movie will start right up. While I was watching the movie, my connection, for some reason flipped out. The movie paused, and a little bar showed up at the bottom with a timeline telling me my movie wold start again in 7 minutes. But then my connection stopped freaking out at it started right up again.
The audio quality is pretty good - it sounded good on my laptop speakers, so if you've got better ones on your computer, then good for you. The downside is that there are no subtitles available as of now, which I like to use from time to time, especially if there's a lot of background noise in my apartment. The other downside as of now is that there are only a limited amount of movies and TV shows available to watch as of now, but they are adding more all the time.
Okay, on to the movie. This is another "Masters of Horror" entry, the Showtime series where horror directors make original hour-long movies as episodes. However, this one is different because it was never aired. It was actually banned from broadcast. Before watching this one, and having seen several Takashi Miike flicks, I could imagine why. Now, having seen it, I completely understand why. Now, this doesn't mean it's an especially brutal Miike film; if anything, it's a pretty average one, given his penchant for really fucked-up (technical term) visuals. But I can understand how someone who hasn't seen his previous work would really be shocked at this. My opinion? It's a fuckin' horror show, you're supposed to be freaked out.
The story is pretty simple. A man, Billy Drago (John Bly!), comes to an island in search for a woman he loved, Kimomo. The island is basically for the sole purpose of travelers to come spend the night with a prostitute. Not finding her, he spends the night with a woman whose face is really messed up. She claims to have known Kimomo, and tells the man that she has died. Following that is some of the worst grief acting I've ever seen, courtesy of Billy Drago.
So the freaky-faced woman tells the man her story and the story of how Kimomo died. In that story is a torture sequence and lots of fetuses. Go figure.
All in all, it's an entertaining feature - though some of the acting could have been better, the story is definitely Miike caliber, as are the visuals. But if you're not used to Miike, you'll be cringing through part of it.
Rashomon is, at its core, a whodunit. A murder takes place - a body is discovered in the woods, the police are called and those involved are rounded up to give their testimonies as to what happened.
There's an infamous bandit who gets arrested, the wife of the victim who is found hiding in a temple and the person who ran to the police after coming across the body.
So the entire movie is each of them giving their testimonies. Boring, right? Well, not exactly. It turns out that the three stories that get told are all different. In one, the man dies in a duel. In another, the wife kills the man. In yet another, the man kills himself. So who is telling the truth?
One of the most affecting details of this movie is the fact that all of the action takes place in a forest somewhere. There are trees everywhere, which obscure the action at times, and it seems crowded. This, to me, gives the story kind of an other-worldly feeling. Nothing is recognizable, it's all just anonymous woods somewhere. Not to sound pretentious or come across as snooty, but it kind of reminded me of A Midsummer Night's Dream, where people are just wandering around in the woods.
Many people regard this as one of Kurosawa's pinnacle films, along with Seven Samurai. And I agree with them. It's not a normal samurai flick where there's a noble, honorable samurai trying to make the world a better place. In this one, everyone's got a motivation, and everyone's hiding something.
Much like the Kurosawa films from roughly the same period, The Sword of Doom tells the tale of samurai in perfect chronology. As a period piece, it's amazing.
But there's a difference between this one and the Kurosawas.
The Sword of Doom is about an errant samurai, Ryunosuke, who gets kicked out of his school for being just plain evil. It is said that a samurai's fencing style mirrors his own soul. Evil soul, evil sword. And this is very much true here. After getting booted from his school, he plays a match with a rival from the same school, which ends in his opponent's death.
He takes the widow as his own woman, unmarried (a no-no in feudal Japan), and joins various gangs to keep himself busy. Basically, he just likes to kill people. Meanwhile, his dead opponent's brother is tracking him down to seek vengeance.
The big difference here, what makes this film different, is that not only is the main character evil, but it's a samurai. It's pretty much the first time an evil samurai has been depicted on film. Usually, they are noble and honorable.
The ending is fun, as well. Eventually, he goes crazy and is haunted by all the ghosts of the people he's killed in the past, so he starts slashing at the walls with his sword. And then, the gangs he's currently associated with turns on him and ambush him where he's staying. There's a 20-minute sequence where he's just killing people left and right, getting jabbed at here and there. And then, the film ends - right there. No resolution.
A perfect idea of the eternal hell he's no doubt going to experience in the afterlife.
This one is a black comedy directed by Harold Ramis, of all people. It's just about the desolate Witchita Falls as it is about stealing from a mob boss.
It follows John Cusack, a disillusioned mob lawyer, who partners up with Billy Bob Thornton to steal over 2 million dollars from the mob boss. It takes place on Christmas Eve as Cusack has to lay low until the both of them can skip town forever, around 2 a.m.
That's the plot. Simplistic, yes, but the rest is in the details. Details such as the fact that just about half of the scenes play out in various strip clubs around the town (yes, there are boobies), and that Oliver Platt is hilarious as a drunk who married John Cusack's ex-wife. Also, John Cusack plays a High Fidelity-esque character, which I guess I'm just a sucker for.
There are twists and turns, betrayals and double crossings, all of which are enough to make this movie very watchable.
The ending is good, too.
"As Witchita falls, so falls does Witchita Falls."
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