More Netflix Modifications

Netflix did not seem to be able to send me Season Two of The Wire, so I have been receiving an odd mix of Netflix back up movies in the meantime. Seems strange they cannot send me The Wire disks from some other part of the country. I wonder if they are starting to let their disk stock shrink by attrition as they steer the customers into more streaming. They don’t even warn that it The Wire a “long wait”. I got on the hold list for seasons two through five at the King County Library (now ranked number one in circulation in the country), and they have been fulfilling my requests surprisingly fast.

Another Netflix problem is that the member reviews feature is not working all the time now. A Google search about the problem turned up an interesting blog posting by “The Professor”, one of the top reviewers at Netflix. He confirms that Netflix is not restocking its old DVD supply. I think The Professor is right, and that Netflix is purposely hastening its transition from a mail provider of tens of thousands of diverse movies on DVD to an internet streaming company with a much smaller inventory. Labor and other overhead savings will be enormous and movie viewers with more exotic taste will be stuck with whatever they can get from Netflix until some other company comes along with a better deal.

It is easy to be angry with Netflix, but The Professor is right that the company deserves credit. Right now there are lots of interesting foreign and independent movies available by Netflix streaming. New movies might also remain a Netflix mail niche for a while (I just received a DVD of Barney’s Version from Netflix on the day after it was released). But for older movies, it may be time to consider using the library again, and now I think I know how to control my library hold queue so I don’t get too many at a time.

Looking back over June, I see that I got 14 in the mail from Netflix and I streamed 9. My average ratings for them were pretty similar, 2.87 for the mail and 2.74 for the streams. Streaming ratings may average a little lower because they include watching some marginal possibilities that are not “mail worthy”. Following the philosophically positive approach of The Professor, if Netflix continues to stream foreign and independent movies, then maybe some folks who would not request them by mail will give them a stream try and be pleasantly surprised, and they might become more diverse film buffs.

Another way Netflix ups the ratings is by not showing or allowing a separate rating for each season of a TV series (though in fairness, neither does the IMDB). This makes a higher rating more likely, such as for a series that had a good debut and then went downhill after the first couple seasons. If the ratings showed a decline after season two, then Netflix members might not watch subsequent seasons. It is all about encouraging people to keep watching (and paying).

Though two seasons of The Wire top this current list, its graphic was used on the last list, so the runner up is being shown this time.

So again, here is what I have watched on DVD and streaming since I posted my last list. The ratings I give are on my own number system explained at the link on the sidebar. Those watched via Netflix instant view, include “Streamed” after the numeric rating.

The Wire [Season Three] – 2005 (3.5). The detail is still working on catching the higher up drug pushers, but now we are shown more on the politics of the war on drugs, within the police department and in the city government. An interesting experiment involves a limited drug tolerance policy, while rival drug pushers forge a joint venture to maximize profits. But as the police detail closes in, disharmony and revenge cause turmoil for the pushers. This story arc continues on a more interesting line than season two.

The Wire [Season Two] – 2004 (3.3). The police detail is reconstituted by a Major who has a vendetta against a longshoreman’s union official, who he suspects is hijacking cargo. This leads to connections with smuggling drugs, prostitutes and other merchandize. The union people and smugglers are new, while most of the police and drug dealers remain the same. The freshness of the first season is diminished and a bit of deja vu sets in, though the overall quality is still there.

Bertie & Elizabeth – 2002 (3.3). Typically good acting is on display in this straightforward Masterpiece Theater telling of the romance and married life of the parents of Queen Elizabeth II. The stuttering of The King’s Speech is touched upon and the uplifting heroism of the royal couple during the blitz of London is portrayed. The abdicator older brother and his American seducer are devastatingly portrayed, making George VI and his Queen all the more appealing.

The Rainmaker – 1997 (3.2). Francis Ford Coppola adapted the Grisham novel and directed this nicely done movie about a new lawyer in Memphis who is mentored by a bar exam serial flunkee and falls for a young battered wife while taking on a corrupt health insurance company on behalf of a terminally ill insured who was wrongfully denied coverage. Matt Damon was quite appealing in a more down to earth role and Claire Danes impressed me again even before I recognized her. Danny DeVito was even under control. I wish Coppola would do more films.

Beyond Silence – 1996 (3.2). This German Oscar nominee manages to deftly handle some potentially heavy material about a musically talented girl growing up with deaf parents who are unable to encourage her musical pursuits. The father’s sister is a musician and steps in to prod the girl, much to the consternation of the deaf father who never has gotten along with his sister. The movie seems to find the right balance of light and heavy, happy and sad, while showing a quite appealing young lady who knows that her childhood was challenging, but also enriching. Director Caroline Link also made Nowhere in Africa, which I gave 4 stars, and I see she has a third movie from 2008, which is not yet available at Netflix.

That’s What I Am – 2011 (3.0) Streamed. Reminiscent of The Wonder Years, set in junior high in the 1960s, this family movie, produced by the production arm of World Wrestling Entertainment, intelligently presents issues of going steady, bullying, geeks, poor parenting, good teaching and homosexuality. Not a bad accomplishment, especially by being entertaining rather than preachy.

Marriage Italian Style – 1964 (2.9) Streamed. The main reason I streamed this was to see young Sophia Loren again, but what I found was a movie that I could appreciate for much more than her beauty alone. The story is about a poor Neapolitan girl thrust out on her own at 16 and ending up in a brothel, where she falls in love with a wealthy unmarried client and eventually gets him to set her up as his mistress. He comes to depend on her to help run his retail businesses, even though she is illiterate, and to help care for his ornery mother in her last years, but he steadfastly resists her attempts to get him to marry her. This is more of a drama, with its humor arising naturally, and Sophia showed her acting range.

16 to Life – 2009 (2.8) Streamed. This low budget indie coming of age movie, shot in rural Iowa on the Mississippi, is nice looking, well-paced and presents some interesting characters in a low key way. Written and directed by first time writer and director Becky Smith, born and raised in small town Iowa, it centers on one day in the life of locals working in a hamburger stand and dealing with love and sex related issues involving other locals and some upscale visitors to nearby vacation homes. Netflix only has this in streaming format.

High Tide – 1987 (2.8) Streamed. Judy Davis does her usual good job of acting in this Aussie movie about a young woman whose husband died and who then abandoned her young daughter to be raised by the paternal grandmother. Leading an aimless life she then stumbles upon the young teenager and grandmother and fumbles about trying to decide whether she can handle getting involved. The actresses playing the daughter and grandmother do well also. Netflix only has this in streaming format.

Barney’s Version – 2010 (2.7). The novel may have been acclaimed but this Canadian movie adaptation is disappointing, with an uneven and uninteresting script. A bit overlong, the film nevertheless fails to take the time to help us understand any of the characters. There are a few laughs up front, as the movie borders on buffoonery, but then as the hero marries the woman of his dreams (his third marriage) the humor disappears, but the drama never develops because the story jumps along without allowing for any character development beyond aging. Paul Giamatti does good with the little he is given, Minnie Driver’s talents are wasted and Rosamund Pike’s supposedly dream girl part is actually blandly written. I guess the story is supposed to be all from the hero’s subjective point of view, but that is not made very clear, and even so, it does not make the movie any better.

New in Town – 2009 (2.7) Streamed. Yet another version of the big city corporate downsizer sent to the small town to eliminate jobs at the local factory and then being charmed by the community and romanced by a member of the opposition, this movie offers nothing new while doing a so-so job of re-telling. Though portraying New Ulm Minnesota as the factory town of wholesome virtues, the movie was actually filmed in Manitoba.

The Velveteen Rabbit – 2007 (2.7) Streamed. This version of the classic combined live action and animation, but did not truly follow the source story line. The 8-10 age bracket recommended by Netflix is about right, but the gentle theme of needing to love may be prone to going over the heads of some kids. Though fairly well done, it seems like such a classic should have come across better. Part of the problem was not telling the correct story and part was the way the telling was done. The truer 30 minute animated version from 1985 is not available from Netflix, but is available through some libraries.

Gods and Monsters – 1998 (2.7). The script for this movie about the final weeks of the life of director James Whale won the Oscar for adaptation, but I thought it was weak, barely holding interest until well into the movie. Whale directed Frankenstein and several other films and was openly gay. His sexuality and experiences as a trench officer and prisoner of war in WWI brought out a macabre sense of humor which was reflected in his movies, but the film, using a relationship with a young heterosexual gardener as a vehicle, did not do that effective a job of helping us understand Whale.

Rebel without a Cause – 1955 (2.7). Watch this one only for historical reasons, to see James Dean in one of the three main movies he made, and Sal Mineo in an Oscar nominated role, and to see the first movie told from the point of view of post WWII teenagers. Otherwise the film is dated and now seems a bit stilted, in spite of what for its time was considered fresh and real.

How to Train Your Dragon – 2010 (2.4). Dreamworks quality animation is always impressive, even without watching in 3-D. The theme of this story is about a sensitive Viking boy learning to make peace with the dragons that have menaced his people for 300 years, but too much screen time is filled with violent dragons for my taste. Kids for whom it is truly age appropriate will probably enjoy the violence more than the sensitivity. Kids too young will probably see it also and really be scared.