DNF

Trying a Netflix instant movie is about as convenient as can be. Even if it starts out as something I can’t imagine ever wanting to sit through, I am usually patient enough to hang in a little longer just in case it gets better. But after more time, if it still looks like a loser, I can bail out. I have hesitated to adopt this practice mostly because I try to pick movies I expect to like. But the time may have come to take some more flyers.

On the page for a movie at Netflix, below the place where you can choose your star rating, there is a box for “not interested”. If you mark that, they may not recommend that movie to you again. It will still show up in filmographies, but the star prediction will be blank. I have marked a few films this way and if I start bailing out of some more, I can mark those also. Then in my personal movie database, instead of giving my decimal rating I will mark it as DNF to indicate I did not finish watching. When I update my master lists on this blog, I will include DNF movies, explaining I did not like them enough to finish watching but I cannot fairly give a rating to a film I did not see completely. Whenever movies are listed from highest to lowest rated, DNF movies will be put at the end of the list.

Susan browsed the Netflix instant play listings for romance movies and came up with 18 films for my queue, and I’ll start integrating them into the viewing cycle, starting with the ones Netflix predicts I will like best. The predictions run from 3.2 down to 2.3, with the two highest being from the 1950s and the two lowest being from this Century.

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].

Being Elmo – 2011 (3.1). The red furred character from Sesame Street was omnipresent a few years back and seemed so commercialized that I was a bit repulsed, even though he was a favorite of my granddaughter and we have one of him sitting on the toy shelf in the living room. What attracted me to this documentary was the fact the puppeteer who operates Elmo is an African-American man and this movie is about him. In a straightforward way the movie tells about how Kevin Clash from the Baltimore projects was attracted to working with puppets and how his parents supported his aspirations. We see how he gave Elmo a new personality of love and how touchingly effective that is with children, particularly the sick and handicapped. There is a briefly touched undercurrent of a failed marriage and not enough time spent with his daughter, but the film is quite encouraging.

Please Vote for Me – 2007 (3.1). As China begins to dabble with tokens of democracy, this interesting and enjoyable Chinese documentary shows a third grade class being exposed to the concepts of political campaigning and popular election of a student to be class monitor. The candidates are the boy who has held the job for two years, another boy who sees himself as the best candidate and a sensitive girl who often seems intimidated. The parents are shown operating like political stage mothers while the teacher is impressive in gently guiding the process. Though the democratic concepts are foreign to the kids and their parents, we quickly see that the tactics of campaigning are not that different from ours. While political tactics might be universally discouraging, the love of parents for their children and the individual personalities of the kids are universally appealing.

Deliver Us from Evil – 2006 (3.0). Telling the story of Irish Catholic priest Oliver O’Grady, who was assigned to various parishes in California, this documentary uses extensive interviews with some of the scores of men and women whom he molested and raped when they were young children. Also interviewed are some of the parents and experts in the fields dealing with such predators as well as a priest who has made it his mission to try to get the institutional Church to face up to the reality of the extent of the problem and the great damage it has done to the victims, their families and the Church itself. Excerpts from depositions of O’Grady and from those in the hierarchy who covered up his offenses are chilling, but extensive interviews with O’Grady himself capture attention in the same way a horrific auto accident does when we drive by without wanting to look. If this movie does not give rise to your retribution instincts, I don’t know what will.

The Wonder Years (Season Four) – 1990 (3.0). As ninth graders in the last year of middle school, issues of family, friends and school are still being dealt with in the now quite familiar style. Though some of the episodes deal with incidents of not great depth, others touch on more substantial matters of love, friendship and family relationships. One somewhat surprising omission is treatment of any racial matters; in fact, though there has been a black male teacher, and a black little league baseball coach who was a war buddy of the family father, the few black students shown are always in the background and appear quite integrated, but are never give more than a passing word to say.

The Mating Game -1951 (3.0).  A pleasant surprise, this early version of a romantic dramedy has a good script (which sort of cries out for a contemporary remake) about a post WWII executive social climber with a hamburger cook mother (played by Thelma Ritter in one of her 6 Oscar nominated performances in a 12 year span) who doesn’t fit in with her son’s new style. There are good and bad characters on both sides of the social classes and though some are purposely a bit over the top, they all ring true. Sure it is predictable, but still fun to watch and not very dated, mercifully without annoying musical score until the quick wrap up ending sequence.  Gene Tierney’s classic beauty is so timeless she could fit right into a movie of today.

Anytown, USA – 2005 (2.9). This documentary about a small town Mayoral election in New Jersey is not very stylish and does not actually have anything much to teach, but after a fairly slow start with too many brief interviews with potential voters it gains momentum when an independent write-in candidate enters the race against a controversial incumbent Republican and his lethargic Democrat opponent. At that point the movie starts following the campaigns more and interviewing voters less. Adding to the interest, two of the candidates are legally blind and the independent enlists the services of the campaign manager of the successful Jesse Ventura campaign for Minnesota Governor.

The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne – 1987 (2.9). Maggie Smith is an excellent actress, particularly at playing repressed spinsters, as she does in this fairly sad drama, misidentified by Netflix as a romance. Orphaned and raised by an aunt who then extracted the duty of returning the caregiving in the aunt’s dotage, Judith supports her life as a boarder by giving sporadic piano lessons, all the while pining for the romance that has eluded her and focusing her attention on the brother of her landlady. Well done all around, but especially carried by Maggie.

August – 1996 (2.8). Another variation on Uncle Vanya by Chekov, this time set in Northern Wales in the early 1900s, with Anthony Hopkins in the lead, but even if you are a little familiar with the story line, you still may be confused by the early portions of this movie as the characters gab along without telling us who they are via the dialogue triangle. It doesn’t help that Hopkins looks older than the woman playing his mother. Thankfully, a lot of the filming is done outdoors in gorgeous Welsh scenery during the month designated by the title.

That Obscure Object of Desire – 1977 (2.8). In this his last movie Luis Bunuel dealt with the consumptive attraction of a wealthy middle aged French widower with an impoverished young Spanish dancer whose ambivalent interest in the man so frustrates him that he wants to run away from her and after her at the same time. Not a dark comedy nor a light drama nor really a romance, the French film holds its age well, because of the absence of a music track to become dated and the avoidance of trendy camera work. Noted for the fact two actresses played the lead role, there is no profound reason for that and the film does not really have much to say, but it is pleasant enough to watch, including some tasteful female nudity.

A Town Like Alice – 1956 (2.8). I remember the TV miniseries of this story from about 30 years ago (which is not available on DVD), and the epic story of British women stuck in Malaya after the WWII takeover by the Japanese benefited by the extra screen time allotment, while this movie suffers in comparison. The years the women spent walking the country because the Japanese did not want to deal with them do not come across as well in the movie and the romance of one of the women with an Australian prisoner is limited to just a few brief scenes. Perhaps a viewer who does not remember the TV version would rate this film higher.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir – 1947 (2.8). A classic fantasy romance in which a widow moves into the home of a deceased sea captain who haunts the place and then falls in love with her, the script for this movie has some holes in it but still retains enough charm to make it watchable, especially enhanced by beautiful Gene Tierney.

The Importance of Being Earnest – 1952 (2.7). This is almost like a filmed version of the Oscar Wilde play, with the wit still there if less relevant 100 years later. The plot is minimal situation comedy, so the witty lines and British acting are the main draws. Watching the bit players, such as the parson, provides a quick stage acting lesson.

Castaway on the Moon – 2009 (2.6). This Korean movie is supposed to be an imaginative romance about a suicidal young man who becomes a castaway on an island in a river. It is also supposed to contain some social commentary and a hint of science fiction. What I saw was a stylish looking film with nice camera work, but with a poor acting performance from the lead in a weak script which had more logic errors than science fiction. The reclusive voyeur female lead was more intriguing but the supposed romantic attachment never came across. The small amount of social commentary was enjoyable, so maybe the film should have skipped the romance in favor of the commentary.

Forks Over Knives – 2011 (DNF). Another documentary about processed foods being hazardous to our health, the first ten minutes told me that it was not going to offer me anything new and was going to include a dose of the conventional misinformation behind the food pyramid. I’ll stick with the Paleo program, so don’t need to finish this film.

Netflix is Sinking

John from Phoenix just posted about the movie Moneyball, so I went to Netflix to see what the prediction is for me. But when I typed the title in the Netflix search box, it only gave me some other halfway similar titles of hokey looking movies. Trying out some other searches, I realize that Netflix has now made their site even less useful to me; their search engine is now only showing me movies that are available for instant view. It is as if there are no other movies in the world, only the ones Netflix has on instant view. This is a ridiculous contraction of service continuing the same downward plunge I wrote about here under the title “Netflix Limits My World”.

When information on the movies is not available through Netflix it also means any previews and member opinions are unavailable, and most importantly, I cannot see what rating I gave the movie or even know whether or not I have seen it. This last part seems a real breach of contract with the members; one of the reasons I have rated over 2,600 movies at Netflix is so that I could quickly determine whether or not I have seen the movie and how many stars I gave it. Fortunately I had the foresight to make my own database of movies I have seen and rated [the database that is accessible on the sidebar of this blog].

A recent article at The Motley Fool explains how Netflix has lost streaming content and will be losing more, and would probably be wise to sell itself before it goes under completely. I will be gleaning what I can from Netflix instant viewing for a while longer, but the deteriorating functionality of their web site is causing me to look to the Internet Movie Database for filmographies, ratings and previews. Netflix and I seem to be agreeing on one thing; neither one of us wants me to sign up for movies in the mail. So I need to get more serious about other sources of movie viewing, like the library and Redbox, and maybe even think about visiting a movie theater.

TV or Not TV?

If you were expecting a report on the 2012 Oscar movies, then you are obviously not a regular reader of this blog. Unless I give Redbox a try, I won’t be seeing any of those films until they get to Netflix instant play or become available through the library. Of most interest are The Artist, The Descendants and The Help. John from Phoenix picks up the slack by hitting the theaters and reporting here on the new films he has seen. Thanks for that John.

I watch a lot of good documentaries on PBS (usually first on TV then online), and I rate at Netflix to help me remember that I have already seen them, though Netflix often does not have them listed until later when they are released on DVD. But now I find that I am watching some documentaries on Netflix instant view and then realizing I have seen them before on TV. Writing about them on this blog provides a place for me to refresh myself about what the program covered and what I thought of it. But I have wondered whether my ratings of programs from TV are appropriate to publish in what is titled as a movie blog, so I have not written about many of them here. As a memory jog and in the spirit of using an open definition of movie media, and  with the belief that it is better to maybe have too many listings than too few, I will now be including most such documentaries. However, basic travelogues, classroom type educational films and many news documentaries will probably not be posted here.

I’m also continuing to catch some Netflix instant play movies before their availability on Netflix expires. These are usually films I expect to be marginal, but there is an occasional pleasant surprise.

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].

Downton Abbey (Season Two) – 2011 (3.7). The Masterpiece miniseries evoking Upstairs Downstairs in its British social and political themes continues from where it left off, taking the characters into and out of WWI with the profound changes that made in British life being shown through the microcosm of the Downton household family, friends and servants. As well done as the first season, the added knowledge of the characters and their backgrounds makes this second season even a little better. Once again, we are left with cliffhangers to entice us to watch the third season to come – as if any enticement is necessary.

More Than a Month – 2012 (3.3). Shown on PBS, this documentary by Shukree Hassan Tilghman questions whether Black History Month is a bad idea, because it relegates the history to a limited time of year, instead of fully integrating it year round. Starting with an engagingly clever humor, the film intelligently pursues its topic with effective interviews, introspective analysis and even a short public survey. Societal history is told by those in power in the way they want to tell it. American society was dominated by whites which is why Black History Week and then Month was developed by African American scholars. As African Americans become more integrated into the American power structure, the need for Black History Month will start to diminish, but are we there yet?

The Wonder Years (Season Three) – 1989 (3.2). Continuing in the vein of the previous seasons, as “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, the kids deal with becoming teenagers and finishing eighth grade, while an eclectic mix of issues are touched upon involving students, teachers and parents. Most all episodes are nostalgic and some tug at deeper emotions.

Amish, The – 2012 (3.0). From American Experience on PBS, this documentary about the religious sect includes a little background material but mostly contemporary footage and audio interviews with sect members, academics and a few former members. Complicating the effort is the fact that the Amish do not want their pictures taken, so there are no face to face interviews. In lieu of narration, graphic titles set out pertinent facts at appropriate spots. While the film answered many questions, there were noticeable omissions, such as the Amish attitude toward birth control, teen pregnancy, modern medical practice and medical insurance.

Hey, Boo: Harper Lee & To Kill a Mockingbird – 2010 (3.0). We should all know what a great book and movie Mockingbird is, and most of us know Harper Lee never wrote another novel and does not give interviews. This documentary uses archival footage, interviews with contemporaries of Lee, audio from her last radio interview in 1964, and further interviews from other writers about the effect Mockingbird had on them, all to reverently but in an entertaining manner renew our appreciation of this modern masterpiece and fill in some knowledge gaps about Lee for those of us who are less informed.

Slavery by Another Name – 2012 (3.0). This PBS documentary tells the story of mistreatment of African Americans in the South during the Reconstruction years after the Civil War and on into the 20^th Century, focusing primarily on the use of the criminal justice system to produce convict labor to replace the slaves and secondarily on the abusive sharecropping system. The expose of the perversion of the law to produce convict labor is particularly revealing and the fact convicts whose labor was being leased from the State were treated even more terribly than slaves is astounding. The production used dramatic simulations, historic photos and interviews with historians and told the specific stories of a few individual victims, interwoven throughout the film. I realize interweaving the stories with the various topics as they are developed allows a continuous progression, but I find it hard to keep track of each story when I am only getting them piecemeal and mixed with all the others. I prefer to have the story of each person told as separate chapters, perhaps after some general introductory material and the after the stories the film can end with some general conclusions.

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front – 2011 (3.0). This documentary does a good job of conveying the frustration that young environmental activists felt when efforts to use the political process, letter writing and picketing failed to stop corporate assaults on the environment. After peaceful protests met with excessive police force, some protesters decided to take it up a notch and start torching the property of the violators, giving birth to the ELF, which was labeled an eco-terrorist organization. Following primarily one man facing prosecution for his involvement, the movie, in a sensitive and balanced way, uses filmed footage, some reenactments, interviews with other ELF members, the man’s family and law enforcement officials to explain how the movement came to be, how it ended up splintering as some began to realize it had gone too far and how law enforcement finally was able to find and prosecute the members.

Waste Land – 2010 (3.0). Brazilian artist Vik Muniz, himself of humble origins, decides to apply his photographic skills to capturing images of the piecework pickers who glean recyclables from a Rio garbage dump, the largest in the world, in this engaging documentary. In the process, Muniz also applies his people skills and is surprised to find how attached he becomes to his subjects and how deeply sympathetic he is to their personal plights. Reworking his photos by incorporating found materials from the dump, the artist brings the workers into the process as assistants, changing their lives and also his.

Still Bill – 2009 (3.0). Though we are close in age, I have to say I don’t remember songwriter and singer Bill Withers. But I do remember many of his songs, which he is shown performing in archival footage in this easy going and appealing documentary. So many talented entertainers let their careers mess up their lives, I often wonder why they don’t see it coming and ditch the career before it does them in. Bill Withers is a guy who did just that, and when you follow him through this documentary as he imparts his life philosophy while interfacing with family and friends, you know by the character of the man that he made a wise choice. But we can also see that his talent has endured and he has been thinking about whether to let some of it be publicly expressed again.

The Interrupters – 2012 (2.9). Former gang members who have done prison time and become wiser with age work the streets to intervene, mediate and interrupt the cycle of youthful gang violence in Chicago in this documentary shown on PBS. Not much for talking head commentators, this movie concentrates on showing the interaction between these older mentors and the young people they are trying to save. Even knowing the bad hand these kids have been dealt, it is hard for those of us who have been more fortunate to sympathize with these kids and to understand why they cannot see other options than gang banging. The interrupters have been in the shoes of these kids and understand them, which also gives them street cred with the kids. My sympathies were most aroused by the tears of the very young kids who are so afraid of the violence and by the emotional impact the crimes of violence have on the lives of the victims and their families.

The Glass Virgin – 1995 (2.9). I watched this BBC production of a Catherine Cookson novel three years ago and gave it 3.1. The drop to my current rating is a reflection of my becoming less impressed by seeing the same kinds of movies several times. The Cookson stories are all watchable plots and decent productions, but the themes of British 18^th Century class structure and male chauvinism interfering with true love get repetitious. This time an upper class young lady learns she is actually ill bred and must make her way in the world without privilege. As usual she meets two kinds of people, good and bad. Melodramas do not have room for areas of gray.

Clinton – 2012 (2.8). From PBS American Experience this documentary about Bill Clinton tells the story of the Clinton Presidency as part of his personal biography, concentrating primarily on his eight years in the White House, but unfortunately spending almost half of the nearly four hours on the Lewinsky scandal and impeachment. There is no new ground here, but plenty of historical footage and current reflective reminiscences of many of the people who interacted with him during his Presidency.

Marion Bridge – 2003 (2.8). This well-acted Canadian movie from Film Movement tells about three adult sisters whose mother is dying, forcing them to face a future without her, but more significantly to come to grips with the past that has made them who they are. Not overly long, the film nevertheless spends the first third not letting us learn much about these people, which when the story turns out to be fairly good by the end makes us wish more had been done with the beginning.

Blind Faith – 1998 (2.8). In this Showtime movie the well-bred 18 year old son a black cop in the Bronx in 1957 confesses to robbing and strangling a white boy. His uncle, a lawyer who handles minor criminal cases cannot find anyone to take the defense of the case, so he ends up doing it himself, not believing the confession, even though the boy will not recant. Uneven at times and suffering some of the usual legal technical faults of courtroom scripts, the film is still an effective commentary, not just on racial relations of the era, but also on other prejudice.

The Wingless Bird – 1997 (2.8). Yet another Brit three part TV melodrama of a Catherine Cookson story, this time about a sensible but plain and unappreciated daughter who helps run the family sweet shop where a romantic upper crust gentleman takes a shine to her. Nothing new here, but if you like the Dame’s stories, this one is well enough done to hold your attention.

The Naked Spur – 1953 (2.7). The best thing this western has going for it is the fantastic Colorado scenery around Durango where it was filmed. The story of Jimmy Stewart bringing Robert Ryan in for a reward starts with interest as Ryan has young Janet Leigh along with him and Stewart ends up reluctantly accepting two men he encounters on the trail as helpers to share the reward. One of the men is an old prospector who is not too sharp and the other is an Army office dishonorably discharged. Ryan cleverly plays the men against each other but the opportunities for drama get cut short.