So I’ve been subscribing to Netflix now for the past four months, which is my longest engagement yet with the company. The thing that keeps me on board though is Netflix Instant. The DVDs and Blu-Rays I get in the mail from them still sit on my coffee table gathering dust, but I use Netflix Instant every night. Every once in a while, I actually make it through a film without falling asleep or shifting my attention. Here’s a list of some of the films I’ve streamed recently and some quick thoughts.
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters – Like revenge, Mishima might be a dish best served cold. I had no clue what it was and it surprised the hell out of me with it’s tight storytelling, confident direction by Paul Schrader, and incredible score by Philip Glass. Might be one of the better biopics I’ve had a chance to see.
Klute – I’m a big fan of Alan J. Pakula’s work in the 70s but Klute had continued to evade me. I popped it on one rainy Saturday and was engaged completely. Donald Sutherland and Jane Fonda are pretty great and while the central mystery is pretty clearly solved halfway through, I was still engaged with the two characters. Also, it’s another example of Gordon Willis being one of the best cinematographers.
Pin- Holy fuck, this movie is ridiculous! Unfortunately, this truly is one where the less said, the better. But my god Pin is absolutely the type of movie that demands at least a few (if not, many) drinks to go along with it. A psychological horror film with a nice dark sense of humor, Ana put it perfectly when she called it “a really awesome, long ‘Are You Afraid of the Dark’ episode.’”
Dreamscape- This one is not so great. Dennis Quaid has psychic abilities and is commissioned by the government to start going into people’s dreams and helping them battle their demons. There’s not much conflict in the film at all until the final showdown which involves a trolley car, the President and a giant snake-man. It also gets a little uncomfortable when Quaid pretty much mind-rapes Kate Capshaw. Worth it only for some vintage Quaid action.
Bed and Board- Yet another installment in the life of Antoine Doinel. Doinel is the character Jean Pierre-Leaud played for most of his life in the films of Francois Truffaut. Bed and Board has Doinel married and attempting to get by in life by selling carnations. Marital issues bubble to the surface when a young Japanese co-ed takes a liking to him. A stronger and more satisfying effort than its predecessor “Stolen Kisses.”
Consenting Adults- Okay, this is where shit gets weird. Also directed by Pakula, this 90s Hitchcockian thriller fails at almost every turn. Kevin Kline and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (one of my early childhood crushes) play a jingle-composer/producer couple who become fast friends with their new neighbors Kevin Spacey and Rebecca Miller. They have dinners, sing, box, ride bikes, go to clubs together, hit each other with their cars and commit insurance fraud, just like all friends. Mind you, this is all in the first 30 minutes. Spacey wants to screw Kline’s wife and vice versa so Spacey hatches a plan so they can both switch beds in the middle of the night and do the deed. They do so but things go horribly wrong when Kline shows up at their house the next day and finds Rebecca Miller bludgeoned with a baseball bat and Spacey screaming that Kline killed her. Shit goes sour and Kline is in jail. Now he’s determined to clear his name and win his family back. Oh and Kevin Spacey has an Uzi at one point. Not a good movie but almost worth it just because I was amazed at how ridiculous it got.
