Netflix, A Week in

Normally I'd do a Film Rec in this place, but I had a busy week and didn't get to my film watching, so I'm going to forgo the recommendation and let you decide if any of these sound good enough to seek out.

The Limey -- Steven Soderbergh
I don't think much of Soderbergh one way or the other. He's interesting in his experimentation (releasing Bubble in several mediums at once, Schizopolis) and his bouncing between star-studded, mainstream studio pictures and smaller, more personal films. Admittedly, I haven't seen a lot of his films, mostly because neither of his extremes much appeals to me. However, The Limey is a pretty pleasant way to spend your time, even if the editing is kind of ridiculous at times. I just can't get behind the idea that Wilson (Terence Stamp) is having the same conversation with the same person in different locations at the same time. It's a silly bit of experimentation that I don't feel adds much. Stamp is all sorts of awesome in the role and it's a pretty interesting take on the Hardcore plot, except instead of a father looking for his daughter in the world of pornography, he's looking for those responsible for his daughter's death in the world of crime. I think I mostly liked watching Stamp be a badass.

Taxi to the Dark Side -- Alex Gibney
I typically don't care about who wins what Oscar. My tastes are rarely in line with the Academy when it comes to nominations, let alone wins, but I can't believe Taxi to the Dark Side won for Best Documentary. I can't attest to the quality of the others as I haven't seen them, but Taxi to the Dark Side seemed like it could have been made for Dateline, or any other hour long news show. There was nothing unique about the way it presented information, going simply for talking heads and pictures of awful things soldiers were doing for prisoners. It didn't win for Best Picture, it won for Most Important Subject. Man on Wire was amazing because turned the documentary into a heist film. Taxi falls into that category of film that's made to make people feel smart about a controversial/complicated subject.

Le deuxieme souffle -- Jean-Pierre Melville
Melville simply makes kick ass crime films. Souffle is long, but it's completely worth it. Jail break, armored car heist, deceit, it's got everything. Paul Meurisse as Commissaire Blot is incredible (the only clip I can find of my favorite scene has no subtitles, so you may have to trust me on its greatness):


Le deuxième souffle
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Forget Godard, Truffaut, Chabrol, and the rest. When it comes to classic French filmmakers, Melville is the one for me.

Wolfen -- Michael Wadleigh
There's not a whole lot to say about Wolfen. It's a perfectly decent film. It's got Albert Finney, Gregory Hines, and the always great Tom Noonan in it. The biggest strike against Wolfen is that it never really rises above the level of an average Monster-of-the-Week X-Files episode with some master story arc Native American mysticism thrown in for good measure. It pretty much went in one eye and out the other.

God Told Me To -- Larry Cohen
I'm starting to sense a trend of Larry Cohen films not living up to their premises. There's a lot to be mined from the idea that people are randomly killing because God told them to, but the story focuses more on Det. Nicholas (Tony Lo Bianco) coming to terms with his own faith and upbringing. I feel weird saying that's a bad thing, but maybe if Robert Forster (who originally was cast in the role) was playing it, I'd feel different. I spent much of the film thinking Lo Bianco was a poor substitute for Forster before I even knew he was a substitute for Forster. Still, it's a pretty interesting film and it's fun to see Andy Kaufman pop up randomly (though not so randomly for you now).

Death to Smoochy -- Danny DeVito
I loathe Robin Williams. I've been tossing around an idea for a post about actors and actresses who need to stop acting and I can't get past Robin Williams as the whole list. His pandering and need to be loved make me sad for him. The way he trots out the same jokes every time he's on a talk show for the past twenty years makes me hate him. But I had a professor who talked Death to Smoochy up for my two years at school, so I had to give it a chance. And it's good! Smoochy got ravaged by critics upon it's release, mostly, it seems, for being a black comedy (kind of like The Cable Guy). But there's tons of great lines, a story that weaves together quite nicely, and Robin Williams does the same thing he always does except you're supposed to think he's sad. It's perfect casting!


Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid -- Carl Reiner
I don't know why it took me so long to see this film. I love Steve Martin and Carl Reiner. It doesn't really get talked about when mentioning either of their careers, so maybe that's why. It's a great homage to the hard-boiled film-noirs of the 40s and conveniently features "cameos" from many of that era's biggest names. The integration of old footage and new is pretty seamless. When one thinks back on all of the great films Martin has made, it can't help but make one lament about his most recent choices.