Qwikster Doesn’t Quicken

Netflix just announced they are aborting Qwikster, the intended new web site for the DVD mail side of the business. They also claim to have added a few hundred more movies for streaming as well as numerous TV show episodes. In fact, they claim old TV episodes are quite popular with customers. Having recently powered through four seasons of Friday Night Lights, I must admit it is nice to be able to watch the next episode of a series instantly whenever the urge strikes. But if the series is not available for instant view, then getting individual DVDs from Netflix can be a slow process, as I found out with The Wire. Public libraries often have each season of a TV series available in one boxed DVD set, as I found for The Wire

I am not sure if it is appropriate to include videos of stage performances like standup comedy routines in my lists here. I do rate them on my database and at Netflix, for a record of what I have seen and to help with the Netflix recommendation algorithm. I have listed some here in the past but may not include them in the future. A film of a stage play or opera might be more appropriate for inclusion, but I rarely watch such material; in fact I have never been able to stay with an opera viewing for more than a few minutes.

Here is what I have watched since I posted my last list. [The ratings I give are on my own number system which is explained at the link on the sidebar].

Wild China – 2008 (3.4). Fascinating sights and wonderful cinematography are captivating in this six part BBC documentary about the flora and fauna of China and what is being done by the Chinese government to protect them. Intelligently narrated and without any other commentary or interviews, the movie is an encouraging pleasure to watch, but though informative, it could have reached a higher level if it was just a little more informative about the details.

Prohibition – 2011 (3.2). Ken Burns and Lynn Novick document the history of the Temperance movement, the passage of the Prohibition amendment to the Constitution, its implementation by the Volstead Act, the challenges of enforcement and the eventual repeal. There are lessons here about culture, morals, politics and government, presented via archival photos and footage with actor voiceovers and some anecdotal remembrance interviews. The film manages to not be ideological beyond professing great respect for the personal freedom protections embodied in the Constitution, and pointing out that Prohibition was a freedom restricting aberration.

Friday Night Lights (Season Four) – 2009 (3.2). The story transition to season four is smooth and the progression of the characters during the season feels real as some characters learn from their experiences while others struggle to make sense of what happens in their lives. We look forward to following the characters into season five, the final one, expecting that leaving them after that will feel like the right thing to do.

The Bicycle Thief – 1948 (3.2). I thought I had at least since parts of this Italian classic through the years, but was surprised on viewing that I did not recognize anything until the final scene. Filmed mostly on the streets of Rome, the movie has a realistic fluidity as we follow the man and his young son tracking down the essential bicycle that was stolen from him on the first day of a job that he had finally been able to obtain in the devastated post war economy. Though very low budget and quite simple in theme, this film has an enduring realism in capturing a moment and place.

Out of Ireland – 1995 (3.1). This documentary tells the story of Irish emigration to America using the personal journeys of a handful of individuals, with archival pictures and movies and interviews with historians and folklorists, and actors doing voiceovers. The political, religious and economic background is well presented, both in Ireland and in America. The film tells the story of each individual separately, which is easier to follow than when the stories are interwoven as many documentaries do.

Amexicano – 2007 (2.9). Picking up a little handyman work from a friend, an overweight Italian-American man is anxious about having to hire a day worker helper, but after a bad      experience with a US citizen Mexican day worker, he finds a hard working illegal immigrant from Mexico, and becomes involved with him personally. A little clumsy at first, this small indie gets better and the actors are appealing. Carmine Famiglietti, who has a gentle sincerity about his portrayal of the overweight man, wrote the script.

Familia – 2005 (2.9). Writer/Director Louise Archambault showed promise in both categories with this French language drama from Canada about three generations of women in a family mixed up by divorce and infidelity. It takes a while to catch on to what is going on and who is who, but that turns out to be mostly intentional. The direction is smooth and the acting good. Unfortunately, whether by nature or nurture, and in spite of the fact the men are worse than the women, the entire family is rather unlikeable.

Nightjohn – 1996 (2.9). This TV movie about clandestine literacy teaching of slaves in the ante bellum South feels a little like a caricature at first but then settles into a decent drama with a very good finish. Keeping slaves illiterate was a vital part of keeping them enslaved. Literacy lifts the lowly and receives a memorable endorsement from this story.

Shades of Ray – 2008 (2.8). A young half Pakistani half white couple are matched up by their Pakistani fathers, but the young man has an offer of marriage pending with his white girlfriend. The young leads have appeal, but everyone else is a bit stereotyped, with the male sidekick role being one that should have been jettisoned. The story has a few laughs and occasionally tries to make a social point, but is pretty tepid.

Under the Bombs – 2007 (2.9). There is some drama and a hint of romance in this Arabic language movie about a Lebanese woman returning to south Lebanon in the aftermath of the 2006 bombings by Israel. Her 6 year old son was staying there with her sister when the bombs struck and the woman is desperate to find them. She hires a cabbie who is brave or foolish enough to take her. But what is most interesting about the film is the almost documentary images of the actual destruction and havoc that occurred.

Yanks -1979 (2.8). This drama of two American soldiers training in England for the WWII D-Day invasion and falling in love with British women who were committed to British servicemen away in combat was too long and yet the script failed to use its time to adequately explore the feelings of the characters in sufficient depth. The acting was marginal, with the women doing better than the men. Despite the always worthwhile premise, this film failed to deliver anything memorable.

Maze – 2000 (2.7). Rob Morrow co-wrote directed and starred in this not particularly funny romance about an artist with fairly severe Tourette’s who falls in love with the girlfriend of his best friend who is away for seven months in Africa with Doctors without Borders. Clumsy at first, with the Tourette’s symptoms particularly uncomfortably portrayed, the movie gets a little better as Laura Linney becomes more involved, though a nude scene of her as a model did not need to be so flagrant to make its point.