New Year and Some Updates

Movies and shows I watched in 2012, as well as some older ones I rated from memory have been added to the lists that are linked in the sidebar. They are listed both alphabetically and by rating. The explanation of my ratings method has also been updated and can be linked from the sidebar. You will note I have also added links to the PC World article on Power Tools to make Netflix more searchable and to my own article on Netflix Power Tools.

In the last half of 2012, I have been using the King County Library for DVDs that are not available on Netflix streaming. I dropped Netflix by mail back in 2011. Between the Library, Netflix streaming and some PBS TV, I am finding enough shows to fill my viewing time.

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].

Game of Thrones (Season One) – 2011 (3.1). Based on a series of fantasy novels, this HBO series is set in a mythical realm of seven kingdoms in a medieval age and tells the intertwining stories of the kings, lords and ladies, and their families, household members, advisors and warriors, as they plot, scheme and fight for power. Beyond the pretend geography and weather, the fantasy elements are kept to a minimum, leaving a constantly developing epic story. The actors (mostly Brits) are very good, but the ensemble covering seven kingdoms takes a while to become familiar. The writing is also fine, though a little too talkative at times. The graphic violence and sex, which are common on HBO, were apparently present in the books and are not inappropriate for the story, though sometimes they seem a little gratuitous or prolonged.

The Edukators – 2004 (3.0).  When the girlfriend of one of two male anarchists gets involved in their shenanigans, the plot thickens in this well done German drama. We see how love and friendship can bump into each other and we experience an interesting interplay between the anarchists and a wealthy older man who is one of their targets. Nothing too deep here, but the idealism of youth is nicely presented and compared to the attitudes of the older man.

Doc Martin (Season Five) – 2011 (2.8). A few replacement characters show up, some new ones pass through and a newborn one emerges as the series continues to deal with the tempestuous relationship of the Doc and Louisa, the problems of the other regulars and the foibles of the eccentric townsfolk. The series may be ready to start filming a sixth and final year and it is probably wise to use the final season to bring some needed closure.

Happy – 2011 (2.8). Interspersing interviews of scientists with footage of happy people in different places in the world, this documentary simply explores what makes people happy. There is nothing new or earthshaking here, but it is organized and presented in an efficient and pleasant way. This is not all Pollyanna; there are some elements of relevant pain and suffering. A segment of a comedian educator addressing a middle school assembly about bullying is quite moving.

Panther Panchali – 1955 (2.8). This summary from Netflix is accurate: “In the first film in director Satyajit Ray's acclaimed trilogy, A boy named Apu is born to a poor but proud Brahmin family. When father Harihar (Kanu Bannerjee) loses his treasury job, he sets out to find work elsewhere, leaving his family with depleted resources. In his absence, their condition deteriorates. Months later, Harihar returns to face the tragedy that forces the family to leave their ancestral home.” Simply filmed and a bit dated, but quite genuine in feel.

Inch’Allah Dimanche – 2001 (2.7). This French movie is about an Algerian woman who travels with her three young children and mother-in-law to France to join her husband who has been living and working there for a couple years. The film establishes the feelings of homesickness and desperation the woman experiences as she faces the domination of the husband and his mother, but ultimately her managing to cope comes on too suddenly and is unconvincing.

Light of My Eyes – 2001 (2.7). A nice guy loner pursues a relationship with an aloof single mother in this Italian drama, but it is not a straightforward romance movie. As we hear the narrator read from the science fiction book the man is reading, we see the parallels between the space alien posing as a resident and the man in the movie. In fact, we see and think about how many people are not who they seem to be or who they once were or who they want to be. Good acting and quite watchable direction ultimately are diminished by a script that sometimes wanders and an ending, as in so many independent movies, that is not up to the level of the rest of the movie.

Summer Hours – 2008 (2.6). This French drama always seems to be working around the edges of the story about three adult children handling the disposition of the estate of their mother after her death. Mom had been a devoted lover of her famous artist uncle and it was his house, filled with his collectibles, that she lived in and where her children and grandchildren visited with her and had numerous family memories. But one son has a career in China and needs money to buy housing for his family there, while the daughter has a design career in NYC and does not intend to visit France more than once a year. The son who lives in France would like to keep the house. We get a taste of the lives and relationships of these people, but bigger bites would have been better.

Gigante [Giant] – 2009 (2.4). In this simple film from Uruguay, a large sized and socially awkward Montevideo supermarket security guard becomes interested in a young country girl who cleans at the store, but he only follows her on the security cameras and then trails her from a distance in her off hours. He is like a stalker, but one who is protective rather than dangerous. This is basically a synopsis of the complete film and there is no plot to spoil by saying so.