Nibbling at the Queue

Three unspectacularly rated [2.9, 2.8 and 2.6] movies from the library are on this list, along with eleven from my Netflix instant queue, so returning to the library has prompted me to also make inroads on my queue. Whatever works to try to find some enjoyable movies.

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].

Together – 2000 (3.2). This refreshingly watchable Swedish movie about a commune in the 1970s is not a comedy, but rather a drama with humor and heart. People openly explore their sexuality, argue politics and try to mend old relationships and start new ones, and as we watch them we are touched, with a couple exceptions, by their honest humanity. Community overcomes loneliness.

Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 – 2008 (2.9). Even for a football fan, a documentary about a 1968 game interspersed with current interviews of the players sounds like a bit of a stretch, but this movie is quite watchable. Both teams were undefeated as they came into this last game of the year and Yale was dominating as expected as the game wound down, but then the game changed and it was a very exciting finish. The interview excerpts are well integrated into the game and it is interesting to see how the men have aged, how their memories have fared and how the game affected their lives at the time and in subsequent years.

Trumbo – 2007 (2.9). The blacklisted writer was an interesting man who was wonderful with words, and this documentary, based on work by his son, captures the man quite well with documentary footage and interviews with his children and some others who knew him and with readings by actors from a variety of his letters. Particularly revealing is the information given on the economic toll Trumbo paid for refusing to co-operate with the 1950s witch hunt; though he did manage to make some money by using other writers as fronts, the ostracism was financially devastating.

The Longest Day – 1962 (2.9). D-Day is shown from the point of view of the Allies, the French underground and the Nazis in this classic epic drama, with the proverbial all-star cast. A few of the characters are iconic to the point of being hokey, but the overall magnitude of the invasion, the anticipation of the excitement and danger by the allies and underground and the confusion of the Nazis are dramatically captured. The movie holds its age well, particularly when we remember this was made long before the CGI enhancements so common in movies today.

Meet John Doe – 1941 (2.9). Frank Capra again celebrates the common man in this movie about a fabricated newspaper story of a desperate out of work man who plans to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. The cynicism behind the story is overwhelmed by public support for the man hired to pretend to be the man, but then there are complications, all with a begging to be realized romance. Very watchable “Capracorn” which holds its age, but this does not rise to the upper tier of his films.

Chosin – 2010 (2.8). In December 1950, 15,000 Marines  at the Chosin Reservoir in Korea were surrounded by 120,000 Chinese troops. Fighting for days in the bitter cold, the Marines managed to extricate themselves, but with great numbers of dead, wounded and frostbite victims losing portions of hands and feet. This documentary uses interviews with several survivors, some personal photos and footage from a Hollywood movie to relate the horror of the experience and how it still is with the men 60 years later, even as they relate the pride they feel for saving South Korea from the Communists.

The Music Never Stopped – 2010 (2.8). Based on a true story, this independent drama tells the story of a young man who became estranged from his parents in the mid-1960s as he moved away to pursue his rock music career, and then came back into their lives 20 years later, suffering from a brain tumor which left him with a memory limited only to the early years of the separation, grounded largely in the music of the time. Working with a professor who uses music as a memory bridge, they try to make connection, especially between the father and son. After an efficient start, the script slows down a little while the musical bridge theories are being employed, but then delivers some emotional connection as we sympathize with the limits the young man must live under and the loss those who love him will experience for the rest of their lives. The father works diligently to make connection with the music his son loves and thereby is able to share in his son’s feelings and understand better what led to the estrangement.

Afghan Star – 2009 (2.8). Pop TV in Afghanistan has an American Idol type competition which grabs the attention of the nation and is the subject of this documentary which follows two men and two women contestants. It is encouraging to see the people joyously embrace the program and celebrate the competitors, but very discouraging to see the backwards male chauvinism and religious chastising theat one of the women is subjected to when she pops a few simple dance moves on camera.

Private Fears in Public Places – 2006 (2.8) Even in his eighties, Alain Resnais still directs a stylish film, this French movie being interweaving vignettes of people struggling with relationships and loneliness. Very watchable with interesting characters, it ultimately ends a little flat with nothing new having been said, but leaving one feeling like it was still worth the time.

The Courage to Love – 2000 (2.8). This made for TV Canadian bio-pic about Henriette DeLille, the educated Creole woman who devoted her life to taking care of the poor and sick in ante-bellum New Orleans was better than I expected. Vanessa Williams did a pretty good job of portraying, without any attempt at an accent, this venerated (officially on the way to possible Sainthood) founder of a small order of nuns still active today. I know there are people who dedicate their lives to serving causes, often based on a belief they are called to do so by God, and this movie managed to credibly portray how Henriette  maintained her dedication even while dealing with the prejudices and politics of the time, family troubles and romantic proposals.

Love in the Afternoon – 1972 (2.8). This French movie is Rohmer’s sixth moral tale, about a happily married man with young children who plays along with a free spirited woman who tries to take their friendship to the next level. He resists even as he enjoys the afternoons he spends with her, and he tries to understand just what it is that he feels and what he will or will not do about it. Typically talkative Rohmer that you either can relate to and appreciate or else be bored stiff.

Top Hat – 1935 (2.6). This Astaire and Rogers vehicle was way too heavy on the lame mistaken identity plot and too short on the dance numbers for my taste, bBut that was the formula the audiences wanted at the time. Fred was the choreographer and primary star, so Ginger did not get her frirst dance number until well into the movie. The DVD has some an interesting documentary film about the movie, as well as good commentary by Fred’s daughter and a film historian.

The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill, etc. – 1995 (2.2). A one trick script, weak acting and clumsy direction make this movie about a Welsh village in 1917, in danger of the local mountain being demoted to hill status by English cartographers, a loser. The only reason to watch is for the picturesque countryside.

The Golden Bowl – 2000 (DNF). Merchant and Ivory have made some wonderful movies, but this rendering of the Henry James novel is not one of them. Predictions of low mediocrity proved more than accurate and after 20 minutes of a muddled script of miscast actors in boring roles, rejection was the only reasonable option.

Back to the Library Again

The frustrations of being a Netflix instant view only member have now driven me back to getting some DVDs from the King County Library. Lots of movies in my instant queue are available from the library, but instant viewing is more convenient. I’ll use the library for movies that are not available on instant view. I have added several movies that were nominated for various awards at the last Oscars, and I expect it will take a fair while to get them. But I don’t think Netflix is setting any speed record getting these newer movies to their mail customers either.

I previously figured out how to suspend library holds so that I keep moving up towards the top but the movie is not actually sent until I re-activate the hold, which keeps me from getting too many movies too close together. Now I have set up a movie list at my library account to quickly link me to my next dozen or so movies of interest, so I can more efficiently decide when to put holds on them. When I notice the library only has one or two copies of a good movie (like Boyfriends and Girlfriends), I will add it to my holds before the last copy disappears. On the downside, I am a little wary of the pressure of trying to watch a full season of a series like Rome in the one week the library allows when other patrons are waiting.

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].

Boyfriends and Girlfriends – 1987 (3.0). Another French film from Eric Rohmer, this one deals with young singles in a Parisian suburb and their efforts to form romantic relationships, concentrating on two very different women and their involvement with two very different men. Rohmer was one of the founders of the New Wave, but his films are quite different than those of the other founders, and they hold up better over time, because they concentrate on the truth of our feelings and the problems that can arise in dealing with them. His films are talky and character driven, without much plot, but I find them quite watchable. The IMDB has a good analysis of his style in this bio by Steve Cohn.  

 

The Wonder Years (Season Six) – 1992 (2.9). The series concludes with an eclectic mix of episodes as Kevin and his friends approach the end of their high school years and Kevin and Winnie feel the strains on their long term relationship. Wayne becomes a de facto step-dad, Norma goes back to school and Jack decides to buy a furniture manufacturing business. Things conclude rather abruptly as we are told by narration in the last episode what happened to the characters from there forward. There were lots of serious issues briefly touched on in the course of this series, but it was basically a dramedy and not destined to become more serious, so it was time for it to end.

Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story – 2008 (2.8). This young master of dirty campaign tactics was like Karl Rove and George W. Bush rolled into one. Interviews and archival footage show a man with no scruples relentlessly climbing from his humble roots in South Carolina all the way to White House advisor to Bush I and head of the RNC. He was knocked off the Board at Howard University by student protests and knocked out of life by an aggressively attacked brain tumor leaving him looking hideously pathetic. Whether or not he had a death bed conversion and sought forgiveness for his sins is left up in the air, due to his overwhelming dishonesty. His legacy is the nasty brand of bogus Republican attack ads that have been so detrimental to our electoral process.

In Treatment – 2008 (2.8). This rating is based on watching only the first disk of this HBO series about a psychotherapist and several of his patients. We are shown his separate sessions with each of his patients and then we see him return to his own therapist after an absence of ten years. Apparently the series continues with all these ongoing therapy sessions, including his own as a patient. The premise in interesting and the people all have dramatic problems, but we are only shown the actual sessions, with no flashbacks or scenes out of the therapy set, resulting in a sense of claustrophobia and tedium. It does make one more sympathetic to the drudgery of being a psychotherapist.

Chop Shop – 2007 (2.8). A young orphan boy sleeps in a room in the auto body shop where he works in a nest of chop shops and junk yards in Queens, NY, in this indie movie shot with an almost documentary feel. His older sister comes to stay with him and he tries to take them both up a rung on the scale of respectability with the money he has saved from his various street hustles, but the cards seem stacked against them. There is no particular drama here, just surprisingly watchable reality.

Rome -2005 (2.8).  This rating is based only on the first few episodes. The BBC and HBO co-produced this classy tale of classic Rome in the time of Caesar. Graphic violence and libidinous full nudity are a natural part of the time and place and are fully exploited. The drama is political and personal, with the stories of the plebes being more interesting than those of the nobles, though they are necessarily intertwined.

The Children’s Hour – 1961 (2.8). This movie illustrates a part of the ongoing process of America struggling to get real about homosexuality. Lillian Hellman wrote the play in 1934, telling about two women who run a boarding school for girls and how a lie about their sexuality by a malicious student causes the ruin of their school, devastates their lives and destroys their relationships. William Wyler’s direction at first seems heavy handed but gets better by the end. Young Shirley MacLaine gives a very good performance in the final scenes. That it took 27 years to bring this play to the screen and even then the movie was so timid about the subject shows how slow progress can be. Fifty years later, we can imagine how the story would unfold today and see that though much progress has been made, there is still a way to go.

Carmen & Geoffrey – 2009 (2.7).  This couple, Carmen De Lavalade and Geoffrey Holder, are attractively shown in this movie which follows them as they work and play and includes interviews and archival footage of their past endeavors, she as a celebrated dancer and he as a dancer, choreographer, painter, costumer and director. Somehow, in spite of closely following this couple, the film does not seem to have brought out enough of what they are like on the inside.

The Street Stops Here – 2010 (2.7).Hard-nosed legendary high school basketball coach Bob Hurley uses profane tough love to goad his inner city Catholic school players in Jersey City to excel in the sport and in life and this movie celebrates his accomplishments while touching on the economic plight of keeping the school funded and very briefly touching on the personal lives of the players. If you want the whole enchilada, watch the excellent Hoop Dreams.

Run Away Home – 2004 (2.7). An artist moves every year to have new places to paint, in this Canadian movie, and his wife and children go with him, the wife willingly but the children reluctantly. The latest move is in 1954 from Georgia to rural Ontario. The oldest child is a smart, attractive girl turning 15, who starts a romance with a neighbor boy, explores the church going her atheist parents avoid and questions who is to blame when her mother contracts TB. Her younger siblings are not as central to the story.The script is a bit clumsy, especially at first, and the directing is uninspired, but the acting is not bad and the overall story finally delivers its modest message in an acceptable way.

Partition – 2007 (2.4). This movie about the love between a Sikh man and a Muslim woman in India at the time of the 1947 partition did have an interesting story to tell, but unfortunately the script failed to deliver it. The first half of the movie was spent in plot progress, with a few flashbacks, but there was no drama or character development. The second half finally brought some drama and eventually a little more understanding of the man, but poor writing, clumsy direction and marginal acting continued to the end.

Netflix Power Tools

Almost three weeks of May went by before I watched something to add to the list. The last movie we streamed before the lull, the depressing The Stoning of Soraya M., might be partly to blame, but the NBA playoffs and yard work usually grab a bunch of my attention this time of year. I got back into viewing with some documentaries, a foreign film and one more from Susan’s list of romances to try.

PC World magazine has an interesting list of web sites which feature tools to make Netflix more useful. Since I am only using instant play right now, I have been trying out two tools that specialize in movies available for streaming, Instant Watcher and Netflix Pivot. Instant Watcher has lots of lists of movies recommended by various criteria, including a useful list of movies on which the streaming rights are about to expire. Netflix Pivot is the most fun, because it presents a colorful interactive wall of DVD boxes that can be filtered by a great variety of criteria to instantly present you with boxes of movies. [Update March 2014: Netflix Pivot is no longer available]. All these tools are linked to the Netflix general customer rating for the movie and to the movie page at Netflix. If you don’t have time to check these out now, bookmark the page for checking out later, or come back here to find it again.

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].

Let’s Talk About Sex – 2009 (3.2). Only an hour long, this documentary about adolescents and sex does a very good job of realistically presenting the variety of attitudes among teens and parents around the US towards sex and sex education. Interviews with church leaders of varying attitudes shows how unrealistic they can be. Moving to Holland, a quite different attitude is shown and the comparison statistics on teen pregnancy and STD/STIs are startlingly different. Produced by Advocates for Youth, the movie tour is led by Australian director James Houston with unobtrusive interviews. Archival footage from sex ed documentaries and from TV shows provides appropriate humor. 

Angels in the Dust – 2007 (2.9). Marion Cloete and her husband are white South African progressives who have dedicated their lives to running a school and orphanage for South African children who are victims of the AIDS epidemic, either personally through forced sex with adults or through the loss of their parents, or both. This documentary follows Marion closely as she goes about her work in the village area where she has located her school. Her dedication and the warmth of the children are encouraging, but the victimization of the children and the pain they endure are heartbreaking. Though we also see her husband and two adult daughters who are involved in the school, we don’t learn much about their lives before the school or about how the school is run and funded, nor are we informed about other initiatives by the government and NGOs to deal with this problem.

Ingredients – 2009 (2.8). There’s nothing particularly new in this one hour documentary about the virtue of locally grown food versus industrial scale food from afar, but the movie has a farm fresh feel as farmers and chefs from the Pacific Northwest and New York State speak positively and enthusiastically show us how they farm and raise animals and how they work with community supported agriculture programs and inner city school programs to eliminate the middle men and educate kids about real food. By only briefly mentioning the evils and dangers of industrialized food the film saved a half hour of time and discouragement.

Selling God – 2009 (2.8). While pointing out how fundamental Christian evangelists in the US use the classic marketing techniques of hucksters, this low budget documentary also manages to include a lot of tongue in cheek put downs of religion in general, while still including a few comments from some more progressive religious scholars.

Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman – 2008 (2.8). At an early age Julius Shulman stumbled into becoming a photographer for architects and he joyfully kept working at it into his nineties. Based in Los Angeles, he became so sought after in his field that he worked with many famous architects in numerous locations. This documentary follows this enjoyable man in his twilight years as he meets with colleagues, students and owners of some of the celebrated houses he has photographed, often revisiting them years later. Not much is told about his personal life, even though his daughter is involved in several interviews in the movie. Modern architecture itself is not the star of the film; that honor goes to this happy man and his photographic accomplishments.

Intimate Stories – 2002 (2.8). Another easy to take movie from Argentina, billed as a comedy but more of a gentle drama with humor, this is about three people from wind swept Patagonia taking to the road for a purpose. One is a traveling salesman on a romantic mission, one an elderly man in search of his lost dog and the third a young mother who must go to the city to claim her right to spin the wheel for a prize on a TV show. The stories loosely intertwine in this laid back look at the kind of mild adventures that sometimes enter our lives.

Jude – 1996 (DNF). Almost a quarter of the way into this movie version of the Thomas Hardy novel, Jude the Obscure, the script delivered a young man into adulthood, a job as a stonemason, a marriage and abandonment by his wife, all while he supposedly read Greek and Latin classics and longed for a University education. The problem is that most of the film time was spent on scenes of disconnected dalliance without any connected drama or exposure of the characters as real people. The other elements of a good movie looked like they may be there, but without a decent script this movie does not seem worth watching.

Don’t Forget April

April is almost gone and I have not published an update, so here it is. Four DNF movies are bringing up the rear.

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].

Frozen Planet – 2011 (3.2). Filmed by the BBC, this Discovery Channel documentary series boasts all the same qualities the movie makers demonstrated in their Planet Earth series, this time concentrating on the polar regions. Years of work pay off in stunning camera footage capturing spectacular natural events.

One Bright Shining Moment – 2005 (3.1). George McGovern is an impressive man of integrity and empathy who managed to build a progressive political career without compromising his principles. This documentary looks back on his surprising rise to the Democrat nomination for President in 1972, and the collapse of his campaign after securing the nomination. His experience as a WWII bomber pilot informed his ten year opposition to the War in Vietnam, and his South Dakota farm upbringing led to his work with food for peace. Wrongly remembered as a big loser, this movie (with particularly interesting commentary by Gloria Steinem, Gore Vidal and Dick Gregory), shows that McGovern should be remembered as a prescient leader who kept the Democratic party open, inclusive and alive at a time when it could have disintegrated, and as  the man who would have ended the Vietnam fiasco much sooner and would have set an example of leadership based on integrity.

The Stoning of Soraya M. – 2008 (3.0). Chillingly and graphically this movie tells the story of an Iranian wife and mother whose husband wants to divorce her in order to marry a young girl. When the wife refuses to agree to a divorce, the husband plots to get her falsely convicted of the capital offense of adultery. Set in 1986, it is outrageous to realize the perverted concepts portrayed in this well-acted movie are still prevalent today in various parts of the world.

One Week – 2008 (2.9). A young Canadian teacher learns he has terminal cancer and decides to take a break from his fiancée and life and take a motorcycle trip across country to digest the bad news, in this indie. A terse script, good acting and varied scenery move it all along at a comfortable pace, striking the right balance between gravity and levity as his one week trip plays out.

The Wonder Years (Season Five) – 1991 (2.9). As Kevin enters high school, girls, spurts, jobs and cars become a great focus as horizons expand. But the most affecting episodes this season actually involve the rift in the relationship between Karen and Dad as she cohabits with her lover while away at college and then returns home after a lover’s quarrel. When dense Wayne decides to join the Army we remember how easy it is for naïve young men to become hoodwinked by military recruiters. Flashbacks to earlier seasons remind us how much the kids have grown in a few short years.

Bill Cunningham New York – 2010 (2.8). The subject of this documentary is an octogenarian photographer for the NYT who rides his bike on the streets of the Big Apple, taking pictures of real people on the streets wearing clothes he finds fashionable for his newspaper column. He also attends fashion related galas as part of his job, but the street action is what he loves. A happy workaholic, he is well respected in the field even as his monkish living style amuses those who know him.

Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? – 2006 (2.8). When Dick Gephart retired from Congress after 28 years, his St Louis area House seat was up for grabs and ten Democrats ran in the primary, including Jeff Smith, a 29 year old political science teacher. The story of his grass campaign against the expected winner, a scion of the powerful Carnahan political family, is the subject of this documentary, which does a good job of showing his energy and passion and the dedication of his young campaign staff. Using mostly footage from the campaign trail and some interviews with local reporters and campaign workers, the movie captures the highs and lows of the battle and keeps us in suspense to the end.

The Waiting Room – 2007 (2.8). A somewhat typical weakness for an independent movie like this Brit drama is a slow starting script during which lots of characters interact without us learning very much about what is actually going on. This movie was almost one third gone before we began to understand the dynamics between the characters. There are three primary female characters and two males, with an affair taking place and couples becoming estranged, and everyone having to decide whether to look for greener grass or stay where they are. The brief encounter romance is actually more an enticement than a blossoming part of the plot. Professionally looking and well-acted, the film is worth staying with in spite of the slow start.

Autumn Spring – 2001 (2.8). In this Czech comedy, a 76 year old man and his sidekick engage in pranks and mischief to spice up their old age, but sometimes their cons backfire and sometimes they end up giving money to their victims. The sidekick is single but the other man has a long suffering wife who sides with their serial marrying son in his attempts to move the folks into a retirement home so he can have their apartment for his current wife. Not hilarious, there is some humor which tones down as the film gets a little more serious toward the end. This is a great vehicle for the three principals to show their acting chops.

A Dinner of Herbs – 2000 (2.4). This Brit miniseries of another Catherine Cookson melodrama is definitely marginal and it does not help that, when streaming it from Netflix, you learn half way through that they don’t have one of the middle episodes available for streaming [another example of the deterioration of Netflix service]. The plot is so predictable by midpoint that the absence of the episode does not prevent following the story. Two orphaned boys in the rural north and a girl whose mother died young are the central characters in this story of unshared love, recurring violence and long held antipathies.

The Mill on the Floss – 1997 (2.4). This surprisingly weak effort from Masterpiece starts with a limited cast of characters of limited dimension, none of whom generates much audience sympathy or concern. Lacking any real drama until well over half over, the movie then kicks in some supposed drama when it is already too late and no one really cares. I suppose this film does not do justice to the George Eliot novel, but it also does not motivate me to want to read it.

Birdsong – 2012 (1.5). PBS should have renamed its program Messterpiece Theater for this garbled tale of a young WWI English officer who has an affair with a young Englishwoman married to an older Frenchman. Disruptive time shifts, gratuitous jump cuts, mumbled dialogue, wooden actors and an unappealing attempt at a story, with some lip sucking trying to pass for eroticism and dusty uniforms with occasional intestines on display faking as graphic war violence, viewer discretion is advised – do not watch at all because it is a total waste of time.

Rango – 2011 (DNF). I can’t imagine this animated movie making any sense to a youngster, or for that matter to an oldster.  I bailed out quite early.

The Waiting City – 2009 (DNF) An Australian couple goes to India to pick up the girl they are adopting, but they have to wait around, and after 25 minutes of waiting with them and not really beginning to care about them or anyone else, it was time to leave them.

Never Again – 2001 (DNF). Supposedly a comedy about an unlikely match of a middle age couple, this started with annoying music, then proceeded with boring characters who were starting to act stupid. Appropriately titled, I told Netflix to never recommend it again.

Heaven Can Wait – 1943 (DNF). Lubitsch directed this classic, but after an initially interesting premise about a new decedent trying to get into Hell, the following story belied boring stage play roots and was not funny or interesting.

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.