Netflix Diary
1. Thumbsucker
My reasons for renting this were completely shallow and in no way led me to expect a particularly good movie (namely, that it was directed by the bassist of a 90's alt-rock supergroup whose album I was really into when I was 14, and that one of the hot blondes from Man Of The House was in it as an even hotter brunette). And I enjoyed it somewhat, mainly due to more seasoned cast members like the always-good Tilda Swinton and the better-than-usual Keanu Reeves, but mostly it reminded me why I tend to avoid coming of age indie movies.
2. Stranger Than Fiction
This had pretty negative buzz all around, which I thought must be a bad sign since the cast and premise were decent and crowd-pleasing enough, but I still wanted to see it for myself to make sure. And hey, it was perfectly alright, and a much better use of Will Ferrell's need to branch out and demonstrate 'range' than, say, Melinda & Melinda. I still don't like Maggie Gyllenballs, though.
3. Hostel
I liked Cabin Fever, so I had moderately high hopes for this, and wanted to rent it before the sequel comes out. I gotta say I was pretty underwhelmed, though. No real surprises or even much in the way of gore or shock, and I didn't even read any spoilers beforehand. I never really felt scared for any of the characters or cared who lived or died, and it didn't get to me in any visceral way like, say, Saw did. I'm starting to really like this guy, though, after his small roles in this and Cellular, he's kind of Piven-esque.
4. Rabbit-Proof Fence
I remember a friend raving about this when it first came out, so I was vaguely game when J.G. put this on the queue. I really don't seek out these kinds of bleak, true-stories-of-global-atrocities type movies, partly because they're usually more interesting and emotionally affecting than they are well made, this being no exception. I mean, it's kind of an amazing story and they do help you understand the historical context and gravity of the situation, but it also makes me wish I just read a book (or at least a Wikipedia entry) on the subject instead. I should give the movie credit for at least leading me to want to read up on things like this, though.
My reasons for renting this were completely shallow and in no way led me to expect a particularly good movie (namely, that it was directed by the bassist of a 90's alt-rock supergroup whose album I was really into when I was 14, and that one of the hot blondes from Man Of The House was in it as an even hotter brunette). And I enjoyed it somewhat, mainly due to more seasoned cast members like the always-good Tilda Swinton and the better-than-usual Keanu Reeves, but mostly it reminded me why I tend to avoid coming of age indie movies.
2. Stranger Than Fiction
This had pretty negative buzz all around, which I thought must be a bad sign since the cast and premise were decent and crowd-pleasing enough, but I still wanted to see it for myself to make sure. And hey, it was perfectly alright, and a much better use of Will Ferrell's need to branch out and demonstrate 'range' than, say, Melinda & Melinda. I still don't like Maggie Gyllenballs, though.
3. Hostel
I liked Cabin Fever, so I had moderately high hopes for this, and wanted to rent it before the sequel comes out. I gotta say I was pretty underwhelmed, though. No real surprises or even much in the way of gore or shock, and I didn't even read any spoilers beforehand. I never really felt scared for any of the characters or cared who lived or died, and it didn't get to me in any visceral way like, say, Saw did. I'm starting to really like this guy, though, after his small roles in this and Cellular, he's kind of Piven-esque.
4. Rabbit-Proof Fence
I remember a friend raving about this when it first came out, so I was vaguely game when J.G. put this on the queue. I really don't seek out these kinds of bleak, true-stories-of-global-atrocities type movies, partly because they're usually more interesting and emotionally affecting than they are well made, this being no exception. I mean, it's kind of an amazing story and they do help you understand the historical context and gravity of the situation, but it also makes me wish I just read a book (or at least a Wikipedia entry) on the subject instead. I should give the movie credit for at least leading me to want to read up on things like this, though.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, September 13, 2007 at 4:02 PM.
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