Contra the words of the
Preacher, there is not a time for everything. Take movies, for
instance. I keep track of movies that come out, and I take note of
the ones I want to see; when Netflix makes them available for
streaming, I add them to my My List. And there they sit until I watch
them, or until Netflix bids them adieu.
Netflix is kind enough to post a seven-day warning when a movie is about to become unavailable. I check my My List every few days to see what's expiring; usually I get an all-clear, or maybe one or two titles are flagged as departing soon. That's when I must decide: Do I really want to watch this film? Do I really have time to watch this film? (Sorry, Turin Horse, I don't have 146 minutes to spare in the next few days; but I watched all of Sátántangó a few years ago, so I feel no guilt.)
Netflix is kind enough to post a seven-day warning when a movie is about to become unavailable. I check my My List every few days to see what's expiring; usually I get an all-clear, or maybe one or two titles are flagged as departing soon. That's when I must decide: Do I really want to watch this film? Do I really have time to watch this film? (Sorry, Turin Horse, I don't have 146 minutes to spare in the next few days; but I watched all of Sátántangó a few years ago, so I feel no guilt.)
And then there was Thursday, September
24, 2015: Sixteen items on my My List suddenly had the expiration
date of doom. (I found out later this was part of an Epix decision to
move a bunch of films from Netflix to Hulu.) Which ones would I
watch? Time to pop the popcorn and hunker down.
Thursday
You're Next. I decided to start with
this wide-release horror film favored by the critics. I liked the
interplay of the family members, and there was a bit of cleverness in
the murder plot. But there was a lot of stupidity too, which
ultimately put me off the film.
Friday
The Sun. This narrative film depicts
Hirohito at the end of World War Two. Austere, but I liked it. I
posted a few scribbles about the film on Second-Chance Cinema, my
blog about movies that didn't get a commercial run in my town of
Houston, Texas.
Jim Norton: Contextually Inadequate. An
entertaining stand-up show, maybe leaning a little heavily on
self-deprecating humor. (I criticize to prove I saw it.)
Saturday
The Last Mogul and Great Directors. Two
documentaries on moviemaking, both enjoyed. A few notes here.
A Most Wanted Man. Meh. Weighted down
by the routine cynicism I've come to expect from a John le Carré
adaptation.
Labor Day. This is a ridiculous story
about a convict, a single mom, and her son. I did not expect to like
it, but by the end of the film Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet had won me
over, somehow.
Sunday
Rapture-Palooza. My third-favorite of
this run of movies; I slobber over Craig Robinson's brilliant
performance here.
Gloria. My favorite: An over-40 Chilean
woman hits the clubs and finds romance (for a while). The
super-obvious, on-the-nose disco number at the end is totally earned.
The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and
Pete. That title wins points all by itself, and the film, about a
couple of inner-city boys left to survive on their wits, doesn't
disappoint.
Russell Brand: Messiah Complex. My
second-favorite. Brand is brilliant, quick-witted, and very funny.
Monday
Hours. A modest thriller, which Paul
Walker makes worth watching, as I note here.
Tuesday
Renoir. I watched the first half of
this quiet, gorgeous film on Monday, then picked up the rest on
Tuesday without much harm. Apparently there a number of people who
hiss and cough up hairballs if they hear “Pierre-Auguste Renoir”
and “artist” in the same sentence. They should not watch this
movie. For the rest of us, it depends on how much patience we have
with art-house film. I'm good.
Bella. This was a festival favorite
several years ago. I disliked it, and I have erased most of it from
my memory; all that's left is something along the lines of, Passive
woman, I rescue you, because I am Noble Man Who Rescues, and this is
Rescue Story That Makes Everyone Feel Good and Noble.
Wednesday
Going Places. I had read a Pauline Kael
article about Bertrand Blier and this film in particular, and I think
Kael helped me appreciate, helped me enjoy Gérard Depardieu and
Patrick Dewaere's spree of larceny and thoroughly incorrect behavior
toward women. This is a fun trip.
That left one expiring film Wednesday
night, and … I gave it a pass. I've never seen Mommie Dearest, and
I'll just have to catch it another time–maybe at camp camp.
