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Ealing Studios directors (1938-1959)
Why Netflix Sucks
To be fair, I'll list below titles which were previously on my list, but have meanwhile become available from Netflix, either for streaming or rental.
Animals (2012) (DVD)
Angela's Ashes (1999) (streaming; still no DVD)
Another Woman (1988) (streaming; still no DVD)
Beyond the Hills (2012) (streaming)
Boy Meets Girl (1984) (streaming; still no DVD/BD)
Following (1998) (streaming; BD, but no DVD)
Lola (1961) (DVD, no BD) [streaming @ HULU]
Man Hunt (1941) (streaming & DVD)
Mauvais Sang (1986) (streaming; still no DVD/BD)
My Name Is Joe (1998) (was available for streaming for a while; expired brusquely on 7.13.15)
Nostalghia (1983) (streaming; still no DVD/BD)
Something Wild (1986) (streaming 'til 9.01.15; still no DVD/BD)
Sundays and Cybèle (1962) (DVD, no BD)
Two Men in Manhattan (1959) (DVD/BD) [streaming @ HULU]
Reviews
Midsomer Murders: Scarecrow Murders (2021)
One of the worst episodes
This show's getting worse and worse, but this was a particularly dull, convoluted and somewhat uncharacteristically dour episode. Since the local PBS channel keeps running this show over and over again, I think I've watched this episode about 3 times, and I'm still not sure I followed, or even care to follow, all the convoluted strands and connections of the plot. As seems to be typical with this show, you have to remember lots of characters' first names, names which are only briefly mentioned in the exposition, in order to follow the plot line, and I'm not sure it even matters in the end. It's just there to string you along for 90 minutes. The episode developed in a very unengaging and soporific manner and the story touched on all sorts of downer issues like gambling addiction, Alzheimer's, agoraphobia, suicide and alcoholism. And the characters were pretty uniformly unpleasant.
The Venture Bros.: Ghosts of the Sargasso (2004)
Major Tom
Oh man! The Major Tom opening segment is so good. SHE KNOOOWS!
What We Do in the Shadows (2019)
Frustratingly mediocre
My main complaint about the show is probably that the three leads, Kayvan Novak (Nandor), Natasia Demetriou (Nadja) and Harvey Guillén (Guillermo), are pretty tone deaf as comedic actors, and also lack charisma. Meanwhile, the truly hilarious Matt Berry, one of the best comedic actors out there, is relegated to a supporting role and rarely gets the spotlight. During the 3rd season Berry seems absent and indifferent. Mark Proksch is also good as "energy vampire" Colin Robinson. The scenarios have potential, but the execution is usually just sort of blah and lowest common denominator. It all seems like an attempt by British actors to make a dent in the lucrative American market by not being too edgy.
Houston, We Have a Problem (2016)
Zelig in Yugoslavia
Funny, even with an Eastern European background this had me fooled to an extent. After watching it I didn't exactly think it was made-up, but I was highly suspicious and thought "I don't trust anything I've just seen." It had the kind of effect misinformation would in Eastern Europe during the Communist era: you were highly skeptical, yet it planted some tiny seed in your brain.
There were several things throughout the "documentary" which raised flags for me:
"Ivan Pavic" seemed very one-dimensional, and why in the world would he wait 20-25 years after the fall of Communism before trying to locate his daughter? I have to say though that the woman playing the daughter was very convincing.
Knowing that the US already had Wernher von Braun and all those other ex-Nazi scientists, engineers, etc., with proven records and expertise in their field, working on NASA's program, why would they bother spending billions on a murky, unproven project from some small, under-developed country?
Old, color(!), home movies from the 60's are shown of "Pavic" and his "wife", which I think would have been, at least, extremely rare for an average citizen behind the Iron Curtain.
During a brief shot, a file is shown which seems to say that Zizek was on the CIA's payroll during the last years of communism, which, if you're familiar with Zizek, is a very amusing touch.
Some of Zizek's comments about perception vs. Reality, etc. Seemed a bit puzzling within the context of the film's narrative, and only make sense in a "meta" way: as commentary on the experience of watching this "documentary."
The film achieves its aim quite effectively, and I think the average American is pretty unprepared for the experience, and would very likely fall for the con.
Ma Loute (2016)
Everybody sucks
Binoche drags this movie down. Most of the other participants, especially Luchini, manage to actually be funny, while she does a tone-deaf pantomime and kind of walks all over everyone else whenever she's in a scene. The misanthropy that permeated 'Li'l Quinquin' is also present here, with Dumont seeming to say that everywhere you turn, you run into idiots. The poor are barely human at all, the middle class is a bunch of bumbling idiots, while the "upper" class is delusional and degenerate. Some of the cinematography is quite beautiful, with an almost 3D quality to it.
Sightseers (2012)
More post-Tarantino, violence-as-"comedy" junk
I wasted 50 minutes trying to get through this p.o.s..
Human Desire (1954)
Proper noir
OK, now this is a proper noir. Cynicism, realism, brutality, lust... Not just another melodrama. There's also a feminist element to the story, which I like.
Tabu (2012)
Unconvincing melodrama
The "artsy" black & white cinematography and stilted dialogue are nothing but a veneer. It ends up being a standard, star-crossed lovers melodrama, done on a low budget.
Tobacco Road (1941)
Just too annoying
A very rare instance when I couldn't get through a movie. After about 40 minutes I couldn't take any more of the hymn singing and the screaming of these stupid, stupid, unsympathetic characters. I'm not familiar with the play the movie's based on, but Ford's version elicits only disdain for these characters, rather than empathy. And Ford's lapdog, Ward Bond, always creeps me out. After reading his bio, it turns out he was exactly the kind of idiot I expected him to be.
Arrugas (2011)
Depressing
A relentlessly sad film. I thought there might be some uplifting elements or conclusion, but no such luck. Even the "humorous" moments contain a lot of darkness. It makes me wonder what the purpose of this film was? Catharsis? Was it didactic? Yes, Alzheimer's is bleak subject matter, but even De Sica in his darkest, neorealist works left you with some shred of hope. I wish I hadn't watched it.
An (2015)
Heart-wrenching
Yes, as others write, it's quite sentimental, and slightly didactic, but it isn't so in a corny way. The pain and moral dilemmas it portrays are very relatable and at times almost too much too bear. Maybe it's just that I find depictions of kind and lonely old folks very touching. Speaking of, Kirin Kiki's performance is brilliant. She's the real deal. She was so convincing that I actually checked if she was someone who had suffered from leprosy. This is a film in the tradition of Kurosawa's 'Ikiru'. There is even a sort of key moment in the film where Tokue uses the phrase 'ikiru' (to live).
The Narrow Margin (1952)
Worst cop ever!
OMG, this is a very silly movie. It should have been billed as a comedy. Honestly, this is probably the worst so called 'noir' that I've seen. It's difficult to comment on it without spoilers. The premise, revealed at the end, and the protagonist's actions defy basic logic & common sense. McGraw's character talks tough, but is such an inept & pathetic dolt, that in the real world he would, at least, get fired.
I was curious about McGraw after thinking he had a perfect face for a thug in the similarly low-budget, but superior, noir 'T-Men', and after being impressed with his performance in a supporting role in 'In Cold Blood', but 'The Narrow Margin' is definitely not on a par with those two films.