Netflix has established a precedent by releasing all the
episodes of an entire season of its new productions all at once. Older complete
seasons of many series are available for streaming. This allows binge watching
which is more akin to book reading. Waiting for the next weekly episode of a
series is like reading a book a chapter at a time in a weekly magazine. Comcast
has released entire seasons of some shows for watching during its Watchathon
week. DVD sets of one or more seasons of a series are available from libraries,
often with four weeks allowed for viewing.
I have started watching and re-rating some movies that I first
watched and rated years ago. If the ratings change, the newer rating will be
used when my master lists are updated. I suspect the new ratings tend to be
lower, probably because I have seen so many movies now that I am a bit harder
rater and also because the impact of many films is greater when they are
freshly viewed. An example from the current list is Elling, which I originally
rated 4 stars at Netflix; it is a good movie but on this watch it did not have
as great an impact.
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. Clicking on a movie title will open a new browser tab with the
IMDb page for the movie.
Boardwalk Empire
(Season Four) (2.9). As the series moves into the mid twenties, the gangster
entwinements become even more twisted and the FBI comes into being and starts
to get involved. The family lives of some of the principal characters become
more involved in the stories, some new characters show up and some old ones get
snuffed. The season finale has a lot going on and seemingly closes some story
arcs, while leaving plenty of room for a few seasons more.
Captain Phillips
– 2013 (2.9). Without spending much time on back story, this thrilling drama,
based on a true story, gets the Captain to his American cargo ship and sailing through
the Gulf of Aden. His concern for possible Somali piracy quickly turns into
reality as his isolated ship is targeted and boarded, resulting in tense cat
and mouse dealings between the Captain and the nominal head of the ragged team
of pirates. Once the US Navy gets involved, negotiators and Navy Seals are
engaged in stopping the pirates and saving the kidnapped Captain. Intensely
well-paced with good acting and production values, the movie holds interest
throughout.
The Newsroom (Season
Two) – 2013 (2.9). Reminiscent of the trouble for CBS when a fake document
was used as part of the evidence to show Bush II ducked the draft, the Newsroom
team is duped from the inside resulting in major litigation which provides a
continuous story line for the second season. The personal stories of the
characters are entwined with the internal investigation of how the story made
it through the institutional process to get on the air. Culminating with the
election night coverage of 2012, there are some happy developments to offset
the setbacks.
The Hunt – 2012
(2.9). Having lost his teaching job in a school closure, a man has taken a job
helping out in a kindergarten back in the small town of his birth. Divorced and
in custody negotiations over his teenage son, the man, in spite of reuniting
with other local men, leads a lonely life. His best friend has a fragile
marriage with a sensitive daughter who attends the kindergarten and befriends
the teacher. The little girl becomes piqued one day and tells a lie about the
man, which soon escalates out of control. Very well acted, particularly by the
little girl, this Danish movie concentrates on the impact of the lie on the
teacher, how the love a community feels for its children can easily turn to
irrational fear, and how the teacher struggles to deal with the situation
without any help. The DVD includes an alternate ending, which once again
confirms neither denouement is satisfactory.
The Act of Killing –
2012 (2.9). Watching the DVD special
feature interview of the director before viewing the documentary will help
understand the historical background behind the Indonesian political genocide
of 1965, and why the killers, shown in this movie in their old age, are still
respected and feared. Wanting to emulate American gangsters and sadistic Nazis
as shown in American films, young thugs were easily recruited by the repressive
dictatorship to help with massive purges of a million or more people seen as
potential political opponents of the repressive regime. The film maker spent
eight years working with these former killers, culminating in the killers
themselves putting together a documentary with their personal vision of why and
how they tortured and murdered and how they feel about it now. Reminiscent of
the film Shoah and its interviews with Nazi death camp workers, this movie is
at times surreal and most often disgustingly perplexing.
Burma VJ – 2008
(2.9). Public indignation roiling up
against the repressive military regime in Burma is captured by undercover video
journalists whose footage made it to the Internet and international TV news.
Slow starting, this documentary gains power as Buddhist monks take to the
streets inspiring the people to join them and speak up against the regime. The
tide was turning as this movie was made though the protests suffered setbacks
near the end of filming.
Elling – 2001 (2.9).
Two men with mental health issues are given a probationary opportunity to leave
the institution where they have been living for many years and move into an
apartment in Oslo in this enjoyable Norwegian comedy. One man is small and very
uptight. The other is large and uncouth. But they have developed a strong
friendship which helps them cope with adjusting to their new situation. Good
acting and nice pacing contribute to this story about the benefits of being
yourself while open to new situations.
Blue Jasmine –
2013 (2.8). Another Best Actress Oscar goes to the portrayal by Cate Blanchett of
a woman with serious mental health issues, in this Woody Allen drama. This time
the character was not as over the top as some prior winners, but rather a woman
who had suffered some serious life bumps and was losing ground in spurts in
trying to deal with them. All the characters seem authentically mixed, even
without us knowing their back stories, though we are shown flashbacks of Cate
and her husband from time to time. The story is mostly middle, with a few hints
of beginning and not much end.
30 for 30: You Don’tKnow Bo – 2012 (2.8). Archival footage and interviews are used in this ESPN
documentary to tell the athletic story of Bo Jackson, All Star MLB baseball
player and All Pro NFL running back, whose career was cut short by the fluke of
a devastating injury. Straightforwardly done, the man who was probably the next
best natural athlete after Jim Thorpe is shown in his astounding performances
on the field and in his dignified and mellow current life.
Elon Musk: Bloomberg Risk Takers – 2011 (2.8). This short
documentary does a quick job of capturing the confident genius and dynamic
entrepreneurship of Musk, with archival footage and interviews of the man
himself, his family members and those who have been in business with him.
Starting with Internet ventures like Pay Pal, Musk has moved on to successful space
exploration and electric car ventures.
Medora – 2013
(2.7). The title is the name of the very small Indiana town whose high school
has not been consolidated with other small schools. The school basketball team
has to compete against schools with ten times as many boys enrolled, and the
results are not pretty. The movie tries to use the struggles of the team as its
focus, but it is clear the real issues are the struggle of the boys in their
daily lives with splintered families and a dying home town. This is not
encouraging and the film does not make any effort to seek or show any hopeful
signs or constructive criticism.
Indie Game: The Movie
– 2012 (2.7). Following a few independent developers of video games who spend
years intensely bringing their vision to reality, this documentary shows the
pressure they experience even as they eschew the pressure of working for
corporate game developers. There could be broader issues of motivation and
achievement, but these young men always knew what they wanted to do from the
time they were children immersed in video gaming and fantasy art and they
concentration of this movie is on the development of their individual games and
whether they will meet with critical and popular success and whether they will
be understood and appreciated for the full vision behind their creation.
Veep (Season Two)
– 2013 (2.7). Julia Louis-Dreyfuss is still in the number two spot in season
two, with her quirky staff pretty much the same and she is still striving to
appear important and manage her political career in the face of continuous
political turmoil. The HBO required excessively vulgar language continues but
the running joke asking if the President called is dropped. A few new
characters come along, but none of major importance. More time is spent near
season end with the family dynamics of the Veep, her ex-husband and their
daughter and the finale reveals surprising news about her political future.
Udaan – 2010
(2.7). After eight years in a boarding school without seeing his widowed
father, a teenage boy is expelled, returns home and is received sternly by his
abusive parent in this overlong and sometimes slow Indian drama. The boy is a
talented inspiring writer but his father insists that he work in his factory
and study engineering. The boy is a sneaky rebel with a poetic bent and his
character has a certain appeal. The six year old half-brother he discovers on
his return home is a cutie to whom he is cold at first. The father is a rigid
tyrant incapable of love. An uncle is sympathetic to the boy but remains a
minor character. The teenage actor has to carry the movie, which he does.
The movies on this list streamed via Netflix were (though
some of the streaming rights may now have expired):
Burma VJ
30 for 30: You Don’t Know Bo
Elon Musk: Bloomberg Risk Takers
Indie Game: The Movie
Udaan
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