![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
Netflix recs
Feb. 13th, 2014 01:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sasha_featherThe Sapphires
This absolutely delightful film focuses on 4 women who form a soul singing group in the 1960s. They are Aboriginal Australians-- 3 sisters and a cousin-- who travel to Vietnam to entertain the troops and make money. Their manager is the white guy from the IT Crowd. Great to watch if you like ladies, music, singing, and movies that don't focus on white people. Content notes: overt racism, discussion of awful racist Australian policies towards native peoples, and some war violence. Has captions. Based on a true story.
Europa Report. 2013, 90 minutes.
This tense SF film is done in documentary style, about a troubled mission to Jupiter's moon Europa. I liked it quite a lot! It moves back and forth in time, contains "interviews" with mission planners and astronauts, and keeps you wondering until the end. It's one of these movies that has a fairly simple idea and does it well. A bit scary at times.
The Bletchley Circle
I highly recommend this mini-series even though is about tracking down a serial killer. The heroine of the tale is a housewife who was a code-breaker / analyst during WWII, and now after the war she solves puzzles as a hobby. When she starts to investigate a spate of killings, she gets the band back together (3 more women) to help her. They use math and complex data analysis to try and catch the killer; one of them has a photographic memory. They do all this without the police's help, and their partners/husbands don't support them either. It's a brilliant show.
North and South. British miniseries.
This adaptation had a "Jane Eyre" feel to me, except it's in a Mill Town rather than a manor. I liked how Margaret's ideas about places and people change. She has a complex relationship with an owner of one of the mills, who is a friend of her father. Margaret is an outspoken and compassionate person who seems fundamentally normal, and very relatable. Recommended.
This absolutely delightful film focuses on 4 women who form a soul singing group in the 1960s. They are Aboriginal Australians-- 3 sisters and a cousin-- who travel to Vietnam to entertain the troops and make money. Their manager is the white guy from the IT Crowd. Great to watch if you like ladies, music, singing, and movies that don't focus on white people. Content notes: overt racism, discussion of awful racist Australian policies towards native peoples, and some war violence. Has captions. Based on a true story.
Europa Report. 2013, 90 minutes.
This tense SF film is done in documentary style, about a troubled mission to Jupiter's moon Europa. I liked it quite a lot! It moves back and forth in time, contains "interviews" with mission planners and astronauts, and keeps you wondering until the end. It's one of these movies that has a fairly simple idea and does it well. A bit scary at times.
The Bletchley Circle
I highly recommend this mini-series even though is about tracking down a serial killer. The heroine of the tale is a housewife who was a code-breaker / analyst during WWII, and now after the war she solves puzzles as a hobby. When she starts to investigate a spate of killings, she gets the band back together (3 more women) to help her. They use math and complex data analysis to try and catch the killer; one of them has a photographic memory. They do all this without the police's help, and their partners/husbands don't support them either. It's a brilliant show.
North and South. British miniseries.
This adaptation had a "Jane Eyre" feel to me, except it's in a Mill Town rather than a manor. I liked how Margaret's ideas about places and people change. She has a complex relationship with an owner of one of the mills, who is a friend of her father. Margaret is an outspoken and compassionate person who seems fundamentally normal, and very relatable. Recommended.
Netflix notes
Jan. 28th, 2013 06:01 pmsasha_featherA few things I've watched on Netflix streaming lately!
Wild Target
A quirky black comedy with Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, Rupert Grint, and Martin Freeman. Nighy plays a hitman who finds himself unable to kill his most recent target, which leads him to re-evaluate his life and choices. I really enjoyed this! It was funny and a bit weird. Has captions.
Content notes: violence and blood.
Before Stonewall (1984)
After Stonewall (1999)
Two documentaries about LGBTQ life in the US. These gave me such much-needed history lessons and I really enjoyed them. They mostly focused on positive things while not shying away from difficult material. They were made years apart yet interview some of the same people, if those people were still alive. Interviewees include Ann Bannon, Rita Mae Brown, Audre Lorde, Larry Kramer.
The Swimsuit Issue
This is under Gay and Lesbian movies, but it's not actually a gay movie! It is gay friendly, and it is about gender and masculinity. It's about some (mostly straight) men who sort of accidentally decide to start a synchronized swimming team. It centers on the team leader, how he organizes the team and his life with his teenage daughter, who also is a synchronized swimmer. I enjoyed this OK but did not get a lot out of it. One thing I did enjoy is that anytime anyone expresses homophobia, that person is roundly mocked, rather than supported, which is something rarely seen in the world, unfortunately. It was also rather nice to see fairly normal looking people being OK with their bodies in swimsuits. In the end, though, it's another movie about a straight white man and his problems, even though it does examine masculinity somewhat.
x-posted
Wild Target
A quirky black comedy with Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, Rupert Grint, and Martin Freeman. Nighy plays a hitman who finds himself unable to kill his most recent target, which leads him to re-evaluate his life and choices. I really enjoyed this! It was funny and a bit weird. Has captions.
Content notes: violence and blood.
Before Stonewall (1984)
After Stonewall (1999)
Two documentaries about LGBTQ life in the US. These gave me such much-needed history lessons and I really enjoyed them. They mostly focused on positive things while not shying away from difficult material. They were made years apart yet interview some of the same people, if those people were still alive. Interviewees include Ann Bannon, Rita Mae Brown, Audre Lorde, Larry Kramer.
The Swimsuit Issue
This is under Gay and Lesbian movies, but it's not actually a gay movie! It is gay friendly, and it is about gender and masculinity. It's about some (mostly straight) men who sort of accidentally decide to start a synchronized swimming team. It centers on the team leader, how he organizes the team and his life with his teenage daughter, who also is a synchronized swimmer. I enjoyed this OK but did not get a lot out of it. One thing I did enjoy is that anytime anyone expresses homophobia, that person is roundly mocked, rather than supported, which is something rarely seen in the world, unfortunately. It was also rather nice to see fairly normal looking people being OK with their bodies in swimsuits. In the end, though, it's another movie about a straight white man and his problems, even though it does examine masculinity somewhat.
x-posted
"Life" on Netflix
Oct. 20th, 2012 10:12 pmsasha_featherBecause of Reasons, I've been watching a lot of TV on Netflix.
I enjoyed Life, a 2-season show about a detective who spent 12 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Det. Crews had been sentenced to life before being exonerated. As part of his settlement, he gets to be a police detective again-- he wants to do this because he's good at it, and he also conducts a side investigation into who set him up to go to prison, and who the real killers were for the murders he went to prison for. His partner, Reese, is a very no-nonsense woman played by Sarah Shahi. She often is the "straight man" to Crew's quirkiness.
This show occasionally plays fast and loose with reality for the sake of the story. For instance, one episode is based on the Stanford Prison Experiment, and the professor in charge says something like, "I followed the standard protocol", which, hello, no. The prison experiment is taught as an example of unethical research and even the guy who ran it admits it was evil. Another episode has a murder victim who supposedly froze completely solid by breathing in liquid nitrogen... which just does not seem possible to me. The writers go for weird and interesting but ignore the facts.
So, if you can sometimes suspend your disbelief, this show is worth watching for the characters and the longer story arcs. There are some great emotional payoffs and the ending is NOT a cliffhanger, but a satisfying ending. Crews struggles with his "path to Zen"/Buddhist beliefs vs. the anger and bitterness that come with his circumstances and his job.
I enjoyed Life, a 2-season show about a detective who spent 12 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Det. Crews had been sentenced to life before being exonerated. As part of his settlement, he gets to be a police detective again-- he wants to do this because he's good at it, and he also conducts a side investigation into who set him up to go to prison, and who the real killers were for the murders he went to prison for. His partner, Reese, is a very no-nonsense woman played by Sarah Shahi. She often is the "straight man" to Crew's quirkiness.
This show occasionally plays fast and loose with reality for the sake of the story. For instance, one episode is based on the Stanford Prison Experiment, and the professor in charge says something like, "I followed the standard protocol", which, hello, no. The prison experiment is taught as an example of unethical research and even the guy who ran it admits it was evil. Another episode has a murder victim who supposedly froze completely solid by breathing in liquid nitrogen... which just does not seem possible to me. The writers go for weird and interesting but ignore the facts.
So, if you can sometimes suspend your disbelief, this show is worth watching for the characters and the longer story arcs. There are some great emotional payoffs and the ending is NOT a cliffhanger, but a satisfying ending. Crews struggles with his "path to Zen"/Buddhist beliefs vs. the anger and bitterness that come with his circumstances and his job.
"Terriers"
Jul. 31st, 2012 07:06 pmsasha_featherIf you have Netflix streaming I recommend watching "Terriers"! It is GREAT. It is only one season long.
It is about 2 private detectives. Hank is an ex-cop who is a recovering alcoholic. His partner Brit is an ex-thief. They have really great chemistry and banter. Early on, they uncover some kind of conspiracy in their town of Ocean Beach, CA, which forms the arc of the season. There are also a few stand-alone episodes and some relationship stuff.
Brit's girlfriend Katie, a vet student, is also a regular character, as is Hank's ex-wife Gretchen. Hank's old cop partner, Sgt. Gustafson, is also a character. There is a sense of backstory between all these people, of family. They get in fights, make serious mistakes, and go forward with their relationships anyway. They joke and banter with each other. I loved this aspect of the show. One of my favorite arcs involved Hank's relationship with his sister.
Both Brit and Hank show a huge range of emotion. They are not shy of showing affection towards each other. This would be a good slash pairing-- one that hopefully included Katie in an OT3/open relationship kind of thing. There was a plot line in canon that did not support this, and that frustrated me, but oh well, you know, canon schmanon. There was also an episode involving a trans* prostitute that I could not tell if it was offensive of not? It seemed OK to me, if a little awkward because it was trying a little too hard in the way that a show tries to address a social justice issue.
Overall this show was good! Highly recommended. Also Brit is super cute (I nearly forgot to say).
It is about 2 private detectives. Hank is an ex-cop who is a recovering alcoholic. His partner Brit is an ex-thief. They have really great chemistry and banter. Early on, they uncover some kind of conspiracy in their town of Ocean Beach, CA, which forms the arc of the season. There are also a few stand-alone episodes and some relationship stuff.
Brit's girlfriend Katie, a vet student, is also a regular character, as is Hank's ex-wife Gretchen. Hank's old cop partner, Sgt. Gustafson, is also a character. There is a sense of backstory between all these people, of family. They get in fights, make serious mistakes, and go forward with their relationships anyway. They joke and banter with each other. I loved this aspect of the show. One of my favorite arcs involved Hank's relationship with his sister.
Both Brit and Hank show a huge range of emotion. They are not shy of showing affection towards each other. This would be a good slash pairing-- one that hopefully included Katie in an OT3/open relationship kind of thing. There was a plot line in canon that did not support this, and that frustrated me, but oh well, you know, canon schmanon. There was also an episode involving a trans* prostitute that I could not tell if it was offensive of not? It seemed OK to me, if a little awkward because it was trying a little too hard in the way that a show tries to address a social justice issue.
Overall this show was good! Highly recommended. Also Brit is super cute (I nearly forgot to say).
Rare Exports is now on Netflix streaming
Apr. 5th, 2012 09:39 pmfoxfirefeyBest. Christmas. Movie. Ever. (Don't believe me? Here's the rotten tomatos page.)
I saw it in the theatre last Christmas and I swear I'm going to make it a Christmas tradition.
I saw it in the theatre last Christmas and I swear I'm going to make it a Christmas tradition.
2 streaming recs.
Feb. 23rd, 2012 12:31 amsasha_featherI watched a couple of REALLY good movies on Netflix streaming over the weekend.
Mary and Max 2009
This is a claymation movie, but I wouldn't say that it is for kids. It is darkly funny, poignant, and emotional, and is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Mary, a lonely girl in Australia, decides to randomly write to someone in New York. Max, a middle-aged man with Asperger's, receives her letter and writes back. What follows is a decades-long correspondence and friendship. A narrator tells most of their quirky tale. I loved this movie about being yourself and choosing your friends. Content notes: alcoholism, suicide ideation.
Weekend 2011.
Wow, a good gay movie! It has subtitles, which I needed due to mumbling (also possibly due to accents). Russ goes out to a party and picks up Glen, in what he expects to be a one-night stand. Instead they spend the whole weekend together and form an unexpectedly strong connection. I very much related to how shy Russ is, how he finds the world subtly hostile. Glen is more outgoing and finds it easier to be out. They discuss politics, art, their lives and histories. I really loved this movie and felt connected to this couple. I thought about it a lot after seeing it. Content note-- there is quite a bit of drug use (cocaine and marijuana).
x-posted to my own journal.
Mary and Max 2009
This is a claymation movie, but I wouldn't say that it is for kids. It is darkly funny, poignant, and emotional, and is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Mary, a lonely girl in Australia, decides to randomly write to someone in New York. Max, a middle-aged man with Asperger's, receives her letter and writes back. What follows is a decades-long correspondence and friendship. A narrator tells most of their quirky tale. I loved this movie about being yourself and choosing your friends. Content notes: alcoholism, suicide ideation.
Weekend 2011.
Wow, a good gay movie! It has subtitles, which I needed due to mumbling (also possibly due to accents). Russ goes out to a party and picks up Glen, in what he expects to be a one-night stand. Instead they spend the whole weekend together and form an unexpectedly strong connection. I very much related to how shy Russ is, how he finds the world subtly hostile. Glen is more outgoing and finds it easier to be out. They discuss politics, art, their lives and histories. I really loved this movie and felt connected to this couple. I thought about it a lot after seeing it. Content note-- there is quite a bit of drug use (cocaine and marijuana).
x-posted to my own journal.
Recommendation: In The Loop
Feb. 20th, 2012 07:07 pmfoxfirefeyDo you like British humor? Do you like humor based on political procedures? Do you like characters whose speech nearly completely consist of obscenities? Or very clever dialogue heavy films? Then you might like In The Loop
Some Netflix recs and anti-recs
Nov. 18th, 2011 11:47 pmsasha_featherHere are some movies I've watched recently via Netflix.
Fingersmith
What a disappointment! My friend and I were looking forward to this one after really enjoying Tipping the Velvet; both movies are based on Sarah Waters novels and are historical lesbian romances. But Fingersmith was about people that we hated, was too long, didn't have kinky sex like the other one did, and was dreary. It's hard to care about a movie when you dislike all the characters-- they were lying manipulative people, every one! Boo. Also no captions!
Despicable Me
What a joy! This is a computer-animated film about a super-villain, Gru, who is trying to steal the moon. He adopts three girls in order to use their cookie-selling abilities to get into the fortress of his arch-enemy, Vector. Gru is never very evil, and he finds out that he enjoys being a parent. This is a creative, detailed, funny film.
Little Voice
"A telephone repairman (Ewan McGregor) and a music promoter (Michael Caine) play second fiddle to Little Voice (Jane Horrocks), a young woman whose beautiful pipes could pack a thousand cabarets. Trouble is, she can only sing along to records in her room. This British charmer was a sleeper hit among the indie set thanks to its winning mix of romance, hope and humor."
I loved this film and highly recommend it! It has somewhat of a romance (or perhaps only a friendship) between shy people, which is a soft spot for me. The parts with the emotionally abusive mother might be hard to watch for some people. Streaming.
Wilby Wonderful with Callum Keith Rennie, Paul Gross, Sandra Oh, and Ellen Page
I didn't know this had queer content! I only knew it was a "Canadian actors/CD6" film. I loved this little movie about a small town called Wilby and the people who live there. Trigger warning for multiple suicide attempts, but it is not a sad movie. I liked that it is about flawed people who are trying, and about relationships. Streaming.
The Way Back with Ed Harris, Colin Farrell, Jim Sturgess, Saoirse Ronan
I recommend this movie if, like me, you like tales of survival, epic journeys, nature, and landscapes. Several men decide to escape from a gulag at the beginning of WWII, travel South through Siberia and into Mongolia. Once there they decide to keep going into Tibet. It is the sort of journey where not everyone makes it and they have to eat bugs and things. I loved it. It has captions and is streaming.
Kick Ass with Nicholas Cage. Streaming.
This is about a teenager, Dave, who decided to try out being a superhero. Trouble is, he has no superpowers, just a costume and faith. He finds out that others like him exist, and that being a hero is really, really dangerous.
I like this film a lot but had some reservations. It's not a movie for people who don't like violence. I did find it well-written and engaging, and I like how it realistically treated the internet: the older gangsters didn't think of using the internet but the kids were all over social networking sites and youtube. There was a subplot involving Dave being rumored to be gay, which I thought to be the stupidest subplot ever. He reaps all the supposed benefits of this rumor (namely attention from girls) without any of the negative consequences! This film also emphasized how dangerous crime-fighting might be, which is not always apparent from other similar films. There is also a young girl crime fighter (Hit Girl), which some people criticized this film for having-- but people within the film also criticized her father (Nicholas Cage) for raising her that way. It was an interesting film.
x-posted to my own journal!
Fingersmith
What a disappointment! My friend and I were looking forward to this one after really enjoying Tipping the Velvet; both movies are based on Sarah Waters novels and are historical lesbian romances. But Fingersmith was about people that we hated, was too long, didn't have kinky sex like the other one did, and was dreary. It's hard to care about a movie when you dislike all the characters-- they were lying manipulative people, every one! Boo. Also no captions!
Despicable Me
What a joy! This is a computer-animated film about a super-villain, Gru, who is trying to steal the moon. He adopts three girls in order to use their cookie-selling abilities to get into the fortress of his arch-enemy, Vector. Gru is never very evil, and he finds out that he enjoys being a parent. This is a creative, detailed, funny film.
Little Voice
"A telephone repairman (Ewan McGregor) and a music promoter (Michael Caine) play second fiddle to Little Voice (Jane Horrocks), a young woman whose beautiful pipes could pack a thousand cabarets. Trouble is, she can only sing along to records in her room. This British charmer was a sleeper hit among the indie set thanks to its winning mix of romance, hope and humor."
I loved this film and highly recommend it! It has somewhat of a romance (or perhaps only a friendship) between shy people, which is a soft spot for me. The parts with the emotionally abusive mother might be hard to watch for some people. Streaming.
Wilby Wonderful with Callum Keith Rennie, Paul Gross, Sandra Oh, and Ellen Page
I didn't know this had queer content! I only knew it was a "Canadian actors/CD6" film. I loved this little movie about a small town called Wilby and the people who live there. Trigger warning for multiple suicide attempts, but it is not a sad movie. I liked that it is about flawed people who are trying, and about relationships. Streaming.
The Way Back with Ed Harris, Colin Farrell, Jim Sturgess, Saoirse Ronan
I recommend this movie if, like me, you like tales of survival, epic journeys, nature, and landscapes. Several men decide to escape from a gulag at the beginning of WWII, travel South through Siberia and into Mongolia. Once there they decide to keep going into Tibet. It is the sort of journey where not everyone makes it and they have to eat bugs and things. I loved it. It has captions and is streaming.
Kick Ass with Nicholas Cage. Streaming.
This is about a teenager, Dave, who decided to try out being a superhero. Trouble is, he has no superpowers, just a costume and faith. He finds out that others like him exist, and that being a hero is really, really dangerous.
I like this film a lot but had some reservations. It's not a movie for people who don't like violence. I did find it well-written and engaging, and I like how it realistically treated the internet: the older gangsters didn't think of using the internet but the kids were all over social networking sites and youtube. There was a subplot involving Dave being rumored to be gay, which I thought to be the stupidest subplot ever. He reaps all the supposed benefits of this rumor (namely attention from girls) without any of the negative consequences! This film also emphasized how dangerous crime-fighting might be, which is not always apparent from other similar films. There is also a young girl crime fighter (Hit Girl), which some people criticized this film for having-- but people within the film also criticized her father (Nicholas Cage) for raising her that way. It was an interesting film.
x-posted to my own journal!
Rec: Young at Heart
Jun. 26th, 2011 09:55 pmsasha_feather"Young at Heart" is a documentary, streaming on Netflix, about a chorus where the average age of the members is 80. They sing all kinds of popular music, including songs by the Clash, Coldplay, James Brown and Sonic Youth. They tour in Europe and are generally awesome. I loved this documentary! I laughed and cried! The director is a task master and is trying to get the chorus to learn some new songs for their upcoming tour. Unfortunately the streaming version does not have captions.
pinkadot89Another mini review from me, and I do recommend this one! I also watched "White Oleander" tonight, which I've seen once before. Great book and a great movie. It also won't be available to instant watch after the 22nd!
( Priscilla, Queen of the Desert )
Don't be shy about posting what you've been watching!
( Priscilla, Queen of the Desert )
Don't be shy about posting what you've been watching!
pinkadot89I just finished watching "Love and Other Disasters" on Instant Watching, since it says it'll be unavailable after June 17th. If you like romantic comedies, which are more on the cheesy side, I'd definitely recommend this one. I couldn't help but smile during some parts. I wrote a little review which I'm sticking behind the cut. There's no spoilers though!
( Love and Other Disasters )
Now I'm about to begin a "My So-Called Life" marathon! I was only 4 when this show was originally on, so I didn't watch it then. But when The-N (now Teen Nick) picked it up, I was hooked! Too bad there's only one season. I'm just really excited that Netflix has it on Instant Watching!
( Love and Other Disasters )
Now I'm about to begin a "My So-Called Life" marathon! I was only 4 when this show was originally on, so I didn't watch it then. But when The-N (now Teen Nick) picked it up, I was hooked! Too bad there's only one season. I'm just really excited that Netflix has it on Instant Watching!
