The Best of Netflix Instant

 
From the land next to the land of Ikea comes a delightfully odd and enjoyable found footage film about three college students who stumble upon a troll hunter.  For those of you who don’t know (I didn’t) a found footage film tells the viewer that what they’re about to watch is real footage someone found, hence the name found footage.  Think The Blair Witch Project or Paranormal Activity. 

Trollhunter begins with three college students following an apparent bear poacher named Hans through rural Norway.  In an attempt to catch the enigmatic Hans poaching, the three students follow him deep into the woods one night where they discover that he is actually a member of the government's secretive Troll Security Service.  His job is to kill any trolls who wander into areas occupied by humans.  Years of thankless service and constant secrecy have made Hans jaded and so he allows the students to film him as he tries and figure out why so many trolls have wandered into human-occupied areas.  The skeptical college students then spend the rest of the film with Hans as he hunts rogue trolls with various amusing techniques including using the blood of a Christian man as bait and shooting an ultraviolet rocket launcher at the light-sensitive beasts.  

Apparently the people of Norway aren't very observant...

Even though Trollhunter couldn't seem to decide on whether to be funny, satirical, or scary, I still had a great time with it.  The action sequences were low-budget but competent and the troll folklore kept my attention.  One warning though: it has subtitles.  If you're not a fan of subtitles wait two or three year because the film is getting an American remake that will probably cost twenty times more than the Norwegian version.




Check out my Best of Netflix Instant Archive for everything I've posted about.

The Best of Netflix Instant

For years I have heard about how great Mad Men is, about how it makes you wish for the 1960's, about how Don Draper wakes up in the morning and pisses cool.  So after Netflix made the entire series available for instant streaming I started to make my way through the 60's period drama.  Normally, I fly through TV shows but I struggled to make it through Mad Men for a few reasons.  The setting is definitely cool and the attention to detail is top-notch but I found myself not caring about any of the characters. Most of them are adulterous assholes and those who aren't still find ways to become as unlikable as possible (I'm looking at you, Betty).  Meanwhile, the plot arcs or lack there of failed to grab my attention until Season 4.

Mad Men is definitely above-average but I expected more from a show that's won the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy for each of its seasons.  However, my first-world problems didn't last long because very soon after finishing up Mad Men, I started to make my way through another AMC series, Breaking Bad, a show that takes the intriguing premise of a high school chemistry teacher turned meth cooker into one of the best shows I've ever seen.

Breaking Bad is intense, unrelenting, and even made me want to major in chemistry but its characters are the highlight.  Walter White (played by Bryan Cranston) is an antihero done right.  He's an ass with, at best, questionable morals.  Just when you think he's going to help someone out of the kindness of his heart you realize he's acting in his own self-interest.  However, you still find yourself rooting for Walt because you understand his motives.


As great as Walter White is, he's only the tip of the iceberg.  Jesse (played by Aaron Paul), Walt's oft in-trouble sidekick, Mike, a badass private investigator, and The Cousins, silent assassins for a Mexican drug cartel, are just a small part of the memorable supporting cast.


What's so impressive about Breaking Bad is that it keeps getting better.  Just when you think the writers can't possibly up the ante anymore, they blow your mind.  From what I've read the recently finished season 4 continues the trend, I can't wait to watch it.


Check out a list of everything I have posted about in my Best of Netflix Instant Archive.

The Best of Netflix Instant

Imagine waking up in an impossibly dark room.  It’s so dark that closing your eyes doesn’t change a thing; you might as well be blind.  Your hands are bound with rope.  Meanwhile, the throbbing in your head and the stifling heat make it difficult to remember what happened.  After struggling with your bonds you manage to ignite a lighter and discover that the room is actually a coffin buried underground. 

Before praising Buried, I want to clarify that the film’s entire 90-minute runtime takes place inside a coffin.  With the exception of one extremely brief moment, Ryan Reynolds (with a shirt on) is the only person you see.  I think it’s worth seeing but that might be a deal breaker for some.

From the Hitchcockian opening until the heart-attack inducing ending, Buried never takes the foot off the pedal.  Just when you think the “oh my god, I’m trapped in a coffin ” thing is getting stale, the film adds another element to the plot and further increases your blood pressure.  It’s difficult to explain how the film pulls this off but watch it and you will understand.

What surprised me the most about Buried is the size of the story.  Reynolds doesn’t exist in a vacuum.  The entire time you are aware of a bigger story unfolding outside, a story of the American occupation of Iraq, of heartless corporations, and of the search for a man buried in the desert.  Compare this to 127 Hours.  In both films the male protagonist is alone and trapped with no real prospect of help.  However, 127 Hours is very centered on James Franco and his personal conflicts while Reynolds in Buried is part of a bigger conflict.  Neither is inherently better but they represent two different and ultimately successful ways to approach a situation.

As much as I enjoyed the film I have two complaints.  Firstly, watching the film requires some suspension of disbelief because a few scenes didn’t seem possible.  At one point Ryan Reynolds fights off a snake with an alcohol-generated fire, keep in mind that he’s still inside a coffin.  My other big complaint is the occasional poor dialogue.  In response to a woman on the phone asking Reynolds what’s will happen if they don’t rescue him by 9pm he says, “He’ll take me to Sea World!”  It immediately reminded me of Ryan Reynolds’ much less impressive acting performances.

Despite its few shortcomings Buried is a fantastic film.  Together, director Rodrigo Cortes, a relatively unknown Spanish director, and Ryan Reynolds, a pretty boy who usually plays the exact same character, form an unlikely pair.  I never thought I’d say this but I spent an hour and a half in a box with Ryan Reynolds and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Check out a list of everything I have posted about in my Best of Netflix Instant Archive.

The Best of Netflix Instant

In which I talk about some of the best TV shows/movies available on Netflix Instant. Check out a list of everything I have posted about in my Best of Netflix Instant Archive.


Toy Story 3

To me, Pixar is like a real life Willy Wonka, spreading joy and wonder to people around the world. When you think they’ve run out of magic and can’t possibly make a good film about a rat in a French restaurant they make Ratatouille a great film.   Up is a about an old man and his boy scout sidekick flying a house into the tropics of South America where they befriend a talking dog and a rare ostrich-thing. How did they decide on that premise? I think the heads of Pixar and another animation studio got drunk one night and a series of drunken dares escalated until the other exec dared the head of Pixar to make a film with Up’s premise.

The head of Pixar shortly afterwards

 Eighteen months later Pixar added another Academy Award to their storage closet full of them.

Picking my favorite Pixar film is like picking my favorite child, I don’t actually have any children but if I did it would probably feel something like this. They are awesome (except for Cars 2, definitely my least favorite child), it’s impossible to choose one. That being said Toy Story 3 is a very good film, even for Pixar. It even received an Academy Award Best Picture nomination, only the third animated film to ever receive that distinction (Beauty and the Beast and Up) are the other two. Toy Story 3 is funny, clever, heart wrenching, and infinitely likable. How many films can pull that off?

Even if Pixar dedicated ninety minutes of the film to Buzz eating a sandwich, it would still be worth my time as long as this scene is still in it:

Frankly, Toy Story 3 is the best threequel of all time and a fitting end to one of the greatest trilogies of all time. The average critical approval rating for the Toy Story series on Rottentomatoes.com is 99.66% (the first two have 100%, the third has 99%), which is absolutely insane; no other trilogy will ever come close to pulling that off.

The Best of Netflix Instant

I apologize for how half-asssed/ non-existent my Best of Netflix Instant post has been lately. Computer problems, family vacation, and an extremely long black out are partially responsible. However, not being able to find anything worthy of my list has been the biggest issue. 


 About two weeks ago I started watching Mad Men and my enthusiasm was through the roof. I expected to be blown away but maybe I expected too much. At season two’s midway point I’m still not hooked to the show. It has great production values and solid acting but I don’t actually like any of the characters, everyone’s a huge asshole. I don’t need a saint, but a primary male character whose favorite pastime isn’t adultery would be a start.  I’m going to continue watching Mad Men but until I truly enjoy the show I won’t add it to my Best of Netflix Archive. Thankfully, I found something else to talk about.


Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

She blue herself

Since it’s release in 2004 I have been hearing how amazing Eternal Sunshine is but I never had a strong desire to see it. It could have been because Ace Ventura/Lloyd Christmas starred in a dramatic role or it could have been the title. Whatever the reason for my unconditional aversion to the film, I’m glad I got passed it because Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a fantastic film. It manages to turn what appears to be a fairly standard love story into one of the most original, thought-provoking films I have ever seen. The film does this by adding a dash of science fiction: what if a doctor specialized in removing memories about someone’s ex. During a rough break-up you could have the memories of your relationship erased. The tiny bit of science fiction in an otherwise normal world works to great effect.

The plot centers around Joel Barish's (Jim Carrey) decision to have the memory of his ex erased but as the procedure is performed he changes his mind and desperately tries to cling to the memories.  Meanwhile, various subplots add to the already strong main narrative.  Even some relatively minor characters end up having interesting stories.  To my surprise, I even managed to (mostly) take Jim Carrey seriously and forget he used to be Ace Venture and Lloyd Christmas. Then again, I can never completely forget about this:

Big Gulps?!

The Best of Netflix Instant

In which every Wednesday I post about some of the best TV Shows/ movies available on Netflix Instant.  Check out a list of everything I have posted about in my Best of Netflix Instant Archive.

I apologize for not posting anything last week.  My computer has been out for repairs so I didn't have time to watch anything I really liked.  It seemed better to wait a week than to post about something I don't actually like.

Hot Tub Time Machine

Why would you ever get in a hot tub with water that color?

Hot Tub Time Machine is a film about a magical hot tub that transports a group of friends back to their glory days in the 1980's.  At no point does Hot Tub lose sight of how ludicrous that previous sentence sounds and it has the kind of self-deprecating humor I find endearing.  On it's own, that isn't enough to carry a film but this retro comedy has more to offer.  The main cast is extremely likable and the 1980's setting is entertaining as well as fun.  Yes, some of the humor is juvenile and overly reliant on shock value but I still found myself laughing.  Not everyone will appreciate the humor along with the odd premise but I think there's enough chance you will that it's worth giving a shot.

The Best of Netflix Instant

In which every Wednesday I post about some of the best TV shows/movies available on Netflix Instant.  Check out a list of everything I have posted about in my Best of Netflix Instant Archive.

It's been a hectic week (partly because my computer broke) so I haven't had time to watch anything new on Netflix Instant.  As a result, I will be posting about an old favorite that you probably haven't seen.

The Iron Giant

In my opinion, The Iron Giant is the most under-appreciated and most-forgotten animated film of all time.  Released in 1999, the film tells the story of a lonely boy living in Maine during the height of the Cold War who discovers and befriends a gigantic alien robot. Critics (rightfully) loved The Iron Giant but audiences (wrongfully) never seemed to care.

Fun Fact of the day: Vin Diesel is the voice of the Iron Giant

With great animations, an accessible but surprisingly deep story, and solid voice acting, The Iron Giant had it all.  Ultimately, the film failed commercially for a variety of reasons but many of those involved blame Warner Bros.  Director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) said it was a, "mis-marketing campaign of epic proportions at the hands of Warner Bros., they simply didn't realize what they had on their hands."  I can imagine Warner Bros. executives face-palming after the The Iron Giant achieved a 97% approval rating on Rottentomatoes.

Even if you aren't a fan of cartoons, I think you will still find something to love about what may be the greatest non-Disney (or Pixar) animated film of all time.

The Best of Netflix Instant

In which every Wednesday I post about some of the best TV shows/movies available on Netflix Instant.  Check out a list of everything I have posted about in my Best of Netflix Instant Archive.

If you haven’t already heard, the biggest news from Netflix this week is a recently announced price increase.  Unlimited online streaming will now cost $8, getting one DVD by mail will also cost $8, two dvds by mail will cost $12, and unlimited streaming plus one dvd at a time, which used to cost $10, will now cost $16 (all of those figures were on a per month basis).  In case your panicking about me ending my subscription and thus ending this weekly post, don’t worry!  At the very least I will continue to pay for Netflix Instant and may or may not keep receiving discs.  I’m not happy about the increase but I can’t say I’m surprised.  This is just another step in what will be a long process of slowly phasing out discs all together.

Friday Night Light

I think that's a friday night light in the background

The fact that 7^th Heaven aired for eleven seasons while Friday Night Lights  (FNL) limped on for five seasons before dying in obscurity is a crime and someone (I don’t know who) should be punished for it.  In my opinion, since FNL’s premiere in October of 2006 until its finale in February, there are few, if any, shows that have been better. 

To say Friday Night Lights is about football is like saying Remember the Titans is about football.  Both use the sport to explore much larger issues.  In the Case of Titans, football is primarily used to explore racial tensions while in FNL it is used to explore numerous issues including racism, economic disparity, school funding, and drugs.  By the series' end you get a surprisingly detailed portrait of a small town in Texas.

What impressed me most about FNL is the character development.  In the pilot, almost every character adheres to a clichéd stereotype such as: the dumb cheerleader who dates the star football player, the quiet backup, the tough guy, or the bookworm.  Then, once you think the characters have all been done before, the show turns everything on its head.  Some of the stereotypes are still there but most of the characters reveal depth and complexities you don’t normally see in a TV show.  What’s even more impressive is that most of the characters graduate and leave at some point during the show.  In fact, by the final season only the coach’s family remain regulars.  This would cripple most shows but FNL doesn’t miss a beat and manages to introduce compelling new characters.

If you’re looking for a substantial series to get you through the dog days of summer, Friday Night Lights is a great choice.  The first four seasons are currently available to stream instantly and I would expect the fifth to be posted before too long.

Luther

In many ways Luther is similar to the Sherlock TV show I posted about several weeks ago.  Both are a BBC series about unconventional but brilliant detectives in London and both employ a “by any means necessary” approach.  However, Sherlock Holmes comes of as someone out of a story book.  After all, that’s what he is.  In contrast, John Luther is more of a real person.  He actually has a personality and as opposed to Sherlock, displays real emotions. 

Unfortunately, Luther fall just short of being an incredible show because completely ridiculous things happen slightly too often.  The most glaring example occurs in the first episode when Luther deduces someone is a cold-blooded murderer because the suspect doesn’t yawn when he does.  What? I had no idea yawning (or not yawning) was such a bullet proof way to determine guilt.  In addition, some of the serial killers Luther tries to track down seem out of place in the real world (e.g. a satanist who drinks his victims' blood).

That being said, Luther is still one of the better TV shows I have seen in the last year, it just doesn't quite reach the same level as Sherlock.  However, with a first season comprised of only six-episodes it’s worth giving a shot.

The Best of Netflix Instant

In which every Wednesday I post about some of the best TV shows/movies available on Netflix Instant. Check out a list of everything I have posted about in my Best of Netflix Instant Archive.

South Park: The Cult of Cartman

"Hey man, what's the worst thing you've ever done?"

Wikipedia describes Eric Cartman as, “an overweight, immature, spoiled, outspoken, lazy, foul-mouthed, mean-spirited, racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, sociopathic, narcissistic, and ill tempered third-then fourth-grader.” I can't argue with that but he’s also the greatest character on one of TV’s best shows.   South Park could still exist without Cartman, but it would be like taking Michael Scott away from The Office (Yep, I went there).  As a result, it’s no coincidence that many of Cartman’s best moments take place during some of South Park’s greatest episodes.

The Cult of Cartman features twelve of Cartman’s most hilarious schemes and create what's essentially an all-star team of South Park episodes. The episodes included are:

Scott Tenorman Must Die

Cartmanland

Awesome-O (are you also a pleasure robot?)

Up the Down Steroid  (has my favorite South Park montage)

The Death of Eric Cartman

Ginger Kids

Cartoon Wars Part 1 and 2 (two of my favorites)

Le Petit Tourette

Tonsil Trouble

Eek, a Penis!

Super Fun Time

As the Netflix description says, “All hail the power of Cartman.”


Billy Elliot

I feel the same way around girls

If you are looking for something a little bit different, look no further than Billy Elliot.  Set during the 1984-85 coal miners’ strike in the UK, the film tells the story of a  miner’s son who discovers his love of dancing after watching a ballet class.  That premise may sound unappealing to some, but Billy Elliot is the rare film that manages to be inspiring and heartwarming without being cheesy or clichéd.

What I liked best about Billy Elliot is the believability of all the characters and their actions.  When one of them did something irrational or self-destructive, I understood why.  The incredibly high stress environment in which the characters live would cause anyone to snap.

The Best of Netflix Instant

In which every Wednesday I talk about some of the best movies/TV shows available on Netflix Instant.  Check out a list of everything I have posted about in my Best of Netflix Instant Archive.

X-Men

I haven't seen so much leather in once place since this music video.

Normally I focus on films that people probably haven’t seen, but I made an exception for X-Men.  The superhero flick came out nearly eleven years ago (that makes me feel old) to a relatively lukewarm response.  Even as a kid I understood why,  X-Men was okay, but a bit underwhelming.  My opinion of the film only strengthened after it was released on DVD and until last week, I probably hadn’t seen it in almost eight years.  My decision to watch X-Men came solely as a result of boredom, but to my amazement I enjoyed it more than I had in theaters over a decade ago.  This struck me as odd but I think I know why.

Reason #1:

Unlike many big budget movies, the original X-Men didn’t rely on computer graphics.  There are some CGI sequences and those definitely look dated, but only one scene struck me as looking particularly bad. In that scene, Wolverine uses his claw to swing around a point on the crown of the Statue of Liberty.  Wolverine looks like something from a Playstation 2 video game, in other words, awful.  But other than that, most of the action sequences hold up surprisingly well.

Reason #2:

Since the original X-Men, there have been four additional films about the team of superheroes (X2, X3, X-Men: Origins, X-Men: First Class).  Those films, especially the most recent two helped to flesh out the reasons for the conflict between Magneto and Professor X as well as Wolverine’s past.  Magneto and the Professor aren’t just two old guys who like to battle each other with teams of mutants.  They used to be good friends but have different views on how to best serve the mutant community.  Wolverine isn’t just an angry d-bag; he has a long, colored past explored in X-Men: Origins (even if it sucked).  The extra background makes the characters far more interesting.  I loved the final scene of the movie where Professor X and Magneto play chess against each other, something they did as friends during First Class.

If you feel like giving X-Men a second chance (which you should), hurry because it will be removed from Netflix Instant on July 6^th.

The Pixar Story

Probably my favorite Pixar short.

The Pixar Story is a surprisingly entertaining documentary about the history of the animation studio.  On a couple of occasions I have mentioned how large of a (figurative) boner I have for Pixar, so I am biased, but I think most people will enjoy the lighthearted documentary.

When Pixar was still in its infancy, John Lasseter (one of Pixar’s founders) would work late into the night, sleep on a mattress under his desk for a few hours, then wake up and keep working.  All of the other Pixar employees interviewed had the same level of passion about making great-animated movies.  I found their enthusiasm absolutely infectious and easily the highlight of the film.

Considering that The Pixar Story is a pretty thinly veiled promotion for the company, I still had a great time with it and think there are definitely worse ways to spend an hour and a half.

Mad Men

I don't know who these people are, but it should be illegal to look this fly

Starting on July 27^th the critically acclaimed AMC TV series, Mad Men will be available to stream on Netflix.  I have never seen any episodes of the series but I’ve heard people rave about it, so I’m pretty excited to finally see if the show lives up to all the hype.

The Best of Netflix Instant

Netflix has been popular for a while, but their Instant feature has really exploded over the last three years.  In fact, Netflix accounts for more Internet traffic than any other source and understandably so. There is a great selection of movies available at the click of a mouse, but it can be hard to decide on what to watch.  The review section on Netflix is pretty unreliable and their score predicting how much you will like a specific movie/tv show isn’t much better.  So every Wednesday I’m going to talk about some of the very best videos available on Netflix Instant.  Check out a list of everything I have posted about in my Best of Netflix Instant Archive.

Touching the Void

Fun fact: that guy needs a wheelbarrow to carry around his balls, they are that huge

Touching the Void utilizes interviews and reenactments to tell the story of two climbers who attempted to summit a Peruvian mountain.   The attempt goes horribly wrong and what ensues is an absolutely astounding story of survival.  I was awestruck by what one of the climbers in particular endured and after watching Void I found myself searching the Internet for more information on the ill-fated expedition.  Hollywood couldn’t have made this up.  The only story I’ve ever heard that compares is the one about Aron Ralston, the climber who cuts his own arm off with a dull knife, it’s that ridiculous.

Many casual viewers hear the word “documentary” and immediately lose interest. I understand why, many of them are preachy or boring.  But trust me, if you spend two hours watching Touching the Void, you won’t regret it. 

Sherlock

The original bromance, but now it's been modernized!

Like Touching the Void, I stumbled upon Sherlock completely by accident.  I had never heard of it but I figured, “Sherlock Holmes is awesome, and he’s played by a guy with an even more awesome name, Benedict Cumberbatch.”  So I gave Sherlock a try and loved every minute of it.

The series takes place in modern times but still stays true to the legendary detective’s roots.  Holmes remains a deductive genius but is now also a tech wizard and oddly enough, really likes texting people.  Watson (played by Martin Freeman aka Bilbo Baggins in the upcoming Hobbit movies) is still the levelheaded, less brilliant sidekick, but is now a veteran of the Afghan War.   The little changes make for interesting twists in a familiar story, but the dialogue ultimately makes the show succeed.  As expected, the dichotomy between Sherlock and Watson is great, however, I found Sherlock’s (usually indirect) interactions with the shows’ criminals to be the most memorable. The crime weren’t the most intricate or mind-blowing, but watching Sherlock slowly circle-in on the surprisingly capable bad guys, was great TV.

Sherlock was extremely enjoyable and is only three 90-minute episodes, so it’s not much of a time commitment when compared to other TV shows.  If you’re bored, check it out. I'm already looking forward to this fall when the BBC releases Series 2.