In my continued attempts to take Netflix for everything it'll give me, I watched two movies today and a pile over the past week, too. Tonight's fare was RKO 281, the story of the making of Citizen Kane, most of which I'd already seen on HBO (I'd rented the flick so I could watch it from the start and finish the rest). I know the story of Welles and the making of Kane fairly well already, though it was interesting to see the chronology of it laid out like it was. It was a solid film, but I was distracted by the fact that I knew most of it. I probably would have enjoyed the experience of 281 more if I'd seen it all the way through instead of piecemeal.
I also watched Henry & June, the story of Anais Nin and Henry Miller, as told by Philip "The Right Stuff" Kaufman. I found it solid and involving in parts, usually the parts that didn't involve Uma Thurman, paradoxically, since she was my main attraction to the film. I found her performance and accent grating, although for all I know, it could be completely accurate to the character for all I know. Even if that's the case, the movie failed to explain why both Henry and Anais were so drawn to her. The story of the Anais/Henry relationship was more interesting and involving, though the film often drifts into lyricism and has an atypical structure, it's solid enough to warrant sitting through, though not as good an erotic study as The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
Prior to that, I watched Talk To Her, the latest from Pedro Almodovar, which I made the mistake of buying from the local video store as a part of their "2 for $20" sale on used DVDs. I just couldn't find anything else to go along with the other DVD I wanted, and since I really loved Almodovar's Open Your Eyes, I figured I'd want this one as well. Well, I was wrong, but the DVD is still wrapped, so perhaps I can exchange it. I mean, it racked up all sorts of awards, dinnit? If that's not a guarantee of quality, what is? (That's sarcasm, folks.) Talk To Her just proves that the Academy always gives out those damned Oscars for the wrong film. I thought it was interesting and involving, but also pretentious, flawed and ultimately unsatisfying. It also didn't help matters that it was a completely different film than I was expecting.
Prior to that, I watched two old classics, Harvey and Arsenic and Old Lace. Harvey, one of those films I'd meant to watch for ages but haven't gotten around to until now, was wonderful, but not quite as laugh-out-loud as I had been led to believe. The humor is there, I suppose, but it's more situational than dialogue-based, and as it was left a little to be desired. I particularly disliked it when the rabbit was given physical presence. I would have preferred it to remain up to the viewer as to whether the thing was just a figment or a real, honest-to-goodness pooka. Additionally, the film sets up some fascinating questions, but never quite moves to resolve them. Another flawed but interesting film.
I wish I could say the same for Arsenic, the cover art/poster for which misleadingly leads you to believe it's a Philadelphia Story-type romp, but it's a disorganized black comedy instead. Cary Grant is decent but goes completely over the top too often, and the script never quite pulls together in the end. (It also betrays its theatrical roots, something that Harvey nicely evades.) I suppose, at the time, the plot of two senile old lady serial killers would have been quite the shocker, but it seems so tame and the plot so predictable that it just doesn't work for me. In the hands of Billy Wilder instead of Capra, it could have been brillian instead of just barely passable. However, I did enjoy (as I almost always do) Peter Lorre.
It's my goal with this Netflix thing to watch as many films as I can, in an attempt to drive the price-point down to near zero for each DVD. The way I see it, if I watch two films a weekend, that's about 6 bucks in rental fees saved, for a total of about 24 bucks each month. Since the membership costs me $20, I am saving money (in the same manner as a woman buying shoes because they're on sale saves money, I suppose), and the more movies I watch and return, the more money I "save." This week alone, I think I've watched six movies or so. Average that out over a month and that's about 28 movies, or about 72 cents a DVD. Factor in postage costs and I have no idea how this company stays in business.
Actually, I do: It's a variation on the old health club business model. Sell a lot of memberships to well-meaning customers and count on the fact that most of them won't use the things, or at least not with any regularity. There are some weeks when I'm far too busy to watch 6 movies, and some months where I don't even manage half that number. Averaged out, they probably make a profit on me, but I'm bound and determined to win out in the end.
Plus, I have like 500 movies in my Netflix queue, I really need to get moving...
I also watched Henry & June, the story of Anais Nin and Henry Miller, as told by Philip "The Right Stuff" Kaufman. I found it solid and involving in parts, usually the parts that didn't involve Uma Thurman, paradoxically, since she was my main attraction to the film. I found her performance and accent grating, although for all I know, it could be completely accurate to the character for all I know. Even if that's the case, the movie failed to explain why both Henry and Anais were so drawn to her. The story of the Anais/Henry relationship was more interesting and involving, though the film often drifts into lyricism and has an atypical structure, it's solid enough to warrant sitting through, though not as good an erotic study as The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
Prior to that, I watched Talk To Her, the latest from Pedro Almodovar, which I made the mistake of buying from the local video store as a part of their "2 for $20" sale on used DVDs. I just couldn't find anything else to go along with the other DVD I wanted, and since I really loved Almodovar's Open Your Eyes, I figured I'd want this one as well. Well, I was wrong, but the DVD is still wrapped, so perhaps I can exchange it. I mean, it racked up all sorts of awards, dinnit? If that's not a guarantee of quality, what is? (That's sarcasm, folks.) Talk To Her just proves that the Academy always gives out those damned Oscars for the wrong film. I thought it was interesting and involving, but also pretentious, flawed and ultimately unsatisfying. It also didn't help matters that it was a completely different film than I was expecting.
Prior to that, I watched two old classics, Harvey and Arsenic and Old Lace. Harvey, one of those films I'd meant to watch for ages but haven't gotten around to until now, was wonderful, but not quite as laugh-out-loud as I had been led to believe. The humor is there, I suppose, but it's more situational than dialogue-based, and as it was left a little to be desired. I particularly disliked it when the rabbit was given physical presence. I would have preferred it to remain up to the viewer as to whether the thing was just a figment or a real, honest-to-goodness pooka. Additionally, the film sets up some fascinating questions, but never quite moves to resolve them. Another flawed but interesting film.
I wish I could say the same for Arsenic, the cover art/poster for which misleadingly leads you to believe it's a Philadelphia Story-type romp, but it's a disorganized black comedy instead. Cary Grant is decent but goes completely over the top too often, and the script never quite pulls together in the end. (It also betrays its theatrical roots, something that Harvey nicely evades.) I suppose, at the time, the plot of two senile old lady serial killers would have been quite the shocker, but it seems so tame and the plot so predictable that it just doesn't work for me. In the hands of Billy Wilder instead of Capra, it could have been brillian instead of just barely passable. However, I did enjoy (as I almost always do) Peter Lorre.
It's my goal with this Netflix thing to watch as many films as I can, in an attempt to drive the price-point down to near zero for each DVD. The way I see it, if I watch two films a weekend, that's about 6 bucks in rental fees saved, for a total of about 24 bucks each month. Since the membership costs me $20, I am saving money (in the same manner as a woman buying shoes because they're on sale saves money, I suppose), and the more movies I watch and return, the more money I "save." This week alone, I think I've watched six movies or so. Average that out over a month and that's about 28 movies, or about 72 cents a DVD. Factor in postage costs and I have no idea how this company stays in business.
Actually, I do: It's a variation on the old health club business model. Sell a lot of memberships to well-meaning customers and count on the fact that most of them won't use the things, or at least not with any regularity. There are some weeks when I'm far too busy to watch 6 movies, and some months where I don't even manage half that number. Averaged out, they probably make a profit on me, but I'm bound and determined to win out in the end.
Plus, I have like 500 movies in my Netflix queue, I really need to get moving...
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