A Week in Netflix: w/c 29/06/15

So much to discuss this week and I've had to include a film from last week that somehow went missing from my brain when writing up last weeks edition of A Week in Netflix - given the sheer amount of films, TV etc. I've consumed this week on Netflix, the individual write ups might end up coming in a little short in terms of quantity of text, but hopefully I will still be able to get my views across on each item below effectively and provide an interesting read and insight into my weeks viewing; and a quick side note, that this week I have actually experienced the odd disruptions in streaming on Netflix, I'm hoping that these have just been the odd bugs niggling away on my PS3 and not something that will creep into my viewing experience in the future whilst streaming video through Netflix, anyway without further tangents lets get into this weeks edition starting of with Film.

FILM

What Maisie Knew *missing from last weeks edition (watched on 23/06/15)

It's probably not a good sign straight off the bat that I had managed to completely forget about this film from last weeks blog post and you won't be surprised to hear that this film did not leave a lasting impression on me, but then looking at the positive side it clearly wasn't something offensively bad as, had it such a film then I surely wouldn't have forgotten about it so bloody quickly as I have done. A story about parents that feel like their dreams and work has become derailed by parenthood - why I thought that this story is something that I thought that I could potentially relate to; given the fact I'm an inspiring filmmaker and a relatively new parent and still trying to develop an understanding and somewhat of a life routine that I can possibly be successful on both fronts; but quite honest What Maisie Knew contains 2 parents that are outright despicable in their attitude to parenthood and utter narrow-mindedness that made me want to vomit. And while I have a lot of time for the comedy of Steve Coogan; here in a straight up role he feels so out of place and awkward whenever on screen like a caged comedian desperate to get out into an open mike night comedy club. The rest of the cast and supporting cast with the exception of the little girl who plays Maisie, couldn't look more less interested with Julianne Moore giving one of her weakest performances that I can remember seeing. Not caring to really delve into the origins of this story; I'll say that the film feels like its been adapted from a by the numbers best selling novel that panders to the lowest common denominator on the emotional strings of middle-aged women and the film itself with such a bland script leaves you with a sour taste in your mouth that while is easily forgotten can't be easily forgiven; there's talent involved but this is a film that you should avoid.

3/10

Short Term 12

I might be wrong, but I got it in my head that Short Term 12 had been one of the better reviewed Indie films to come out of the festival circuit in the past year or 2 and given my expectations; whether they had been justifiable or mis-guided, I don't think that it really would have changed my overall opinion on this film that ultimately felt rather bland in all aspects. My main problem with the film is the script, now that's not to say that the script is particularly bad in-fact you could argue that the film is quite fine but here within lies the problem - the structure has so meticulously been refined to focus so much attention on emotional beats and set turning points to the length where you get the feeling the writer has spent far too much time reading 'Scriptwriting for Dummies' that they really forgot to entice us the audience and get us to care for their characters and their lives, but instead we are left with the feeling of drowning in the blandness that Short Term 12 offers up as a storyline. The film is well directed and with the exception of 1 of the supporting cast members the performances are very strong all-round, but it's not enough to save the film from being sub-par; not every Indie film that comes out the festival circuit with a great marketing campaign is unique and intriguing, some of them are just plain safe filmmaking with a steady pace like Short Term 12 that fail to stand out from the crowd. I would probably still recommend people to check out the film purely based on the performances and direction, but certainly not a film that you should rush out to see or go in with high expectations, but it reasonably passes the time well enough.

4/10

Sex, Lies and Videotape

I feel like that I've got a love/hate relationship when it comes to the work of director Steven Soderbergh; but usually even at his lowest I can find at least one thing interesting with all of his films that I've seen to date. With his debut film Sex, Lies and Videotape probably for me sitting pretty in-between both the good and the bad in terms of overall quality; I really liked the concept behind the story of the film that brings together a sexually repressed woman and a mysterious figure of a man with a unusual fetish. Stylistically the film is very minimalist in nature that I can appreciate, but on the other hand part of the reason that I couldn't really fully engage with Sex, Lies and Videotape is because there really wasn't enough on offer to get me totally invested with it that ultimately lead me to not really give  a shit about any of the characters or the overall story. I've got to say though that James Spader is absolutely fantastic here in the starring role opposite Andie MacDowell but because Spader is so fucking good is why when he isn't on screen the film just doesn't feel anywhere near as interesting or as enjoyable to watch. I'd certainly recommend seeking out this film on Netflix just to see Spader's performance but also to see the origins of the directional work of Steven Soderbergh, I just feel that had this film come at a later stage in Soderbergh's career the film would have been remarkably better, but what we actually get is a perfectly average film with a actor bringing his absolutely 'A' game to the table, but that's not enough to scrape away the feeling that the film can be a bit of a slog to get through at times. Personally I feel that Steven Shainberg's Secretary is the far better film, again starring the wonderful James Spader.

5/10

Swingers

While I'm not a Jon Favreau or a Doug Liman fanboy; I would say that I'm willing to give both a chance where others might not and recently paying off with Chef and Edge of Tomorrow proving to be largely enjoyable, on the surface Swingers wouldn't normally appeal to me, a U.S. Comedy about aspiring actors/comedians struggling to deal with rejections of Hollywood; where the nightlife lifestyle becomes more important in their lives compared to their dream career pathways. Starring Vince Vaughan is usually a barrier for me that I can't get behind, but here early in his career, he showcases some pretty funny traits that would go on to grow into annoyances for me personally, but here in Swingers he feels right at home with Jon Favreau's script and the counterbalance to Favreau's on screen character Mike; Vaughan finds a nice balance of irritating arrogance and supportive friendship that really ties the film together. Swingers is a Funtime with plenty of laughs, though it's not quite as clever as it thinks it is and does feel very 90s that hasn't aged badly but certainly feels of its time. If you like Vince Vaughan then you owe it to yourself to see Swingers as it's far better than the majority of his outings, it's not a film I'm likely to revisit and not up there with the likes of a Very Bad Things in terms of 90s comedies but it was for me at least a pleasant surprise.

6/10

Double Jeopardy

Can you look the other way or ignore the worst aspect of a movie and enjoy it despite those flaws? Well when the biggest problem of the film is the entire script then it's pretty bloody hard to ignore. From start to finish, literally every word and every action in Double Jeopardy is utterly unbelievable and at times hilariously bad, now I am aware of the whole 'double jeopardy' deal within the U.S. Legal system but surely the way it's represented in this film is a complete mockery? Throughout the entire runtime I couldn't shake the feeling that I had seen this film before, but I think I've come to the realisation that it's not that I've seen Double Jeopardy before it's just that I've seen enough Hollywood thrillers of the 90s with similar backstories and characters that's this is essentially just a mishmash of all of those films with the complete package of genre tropes that tick all the right boxes of a thriller, it's just that Double Jeopardy happens to be so poorly written and with a terribly cheesy ending to boot you can't help but feel cheated by the time the credits roll. Stay clear it's both predictable and proposterous

3/10

ANIME

Blue Exorcist

The show seems to get off to a slowish start and initially I wasn't sure exactly sure what to make of it all after the first couple of episodes, but have stuck with it through the week and managed to catch and good chunk of the first half of the season on Netflix and I'm pretty sure that the show is growing on me with each passing episode. I think if you like demonology and the anime Bleach then Blue Exorcist is certainly a show worth giving a shot, it seems rather light in its tone with the comedy playing a huge part in the overall feel in the series and that is something that I think will start to get used to, though if it could offer something a little darker or explore the realms of demonology into greater depths I'd certainly appreciate it more. Visually it's got style and the comedy has been pretty consistent so I'm eager to stick with the show and see how it all plays out but at this moment in time I'd say the show is mildly entertaining without being great.

TV

Arrested Development Season 1 (Episodes 21&22) Complete

To say first off that I've watched so much of this show this week - I'll probably keep my thoughts pretty brief and run down comparisons between the seasons; I'd like to think that I can summarise in greater depth after completing all 4 seasons, but as for these last couple of episodes of season 1 I'll just say that they delivered the laughs just as well as everything that came before in this season. For me this season of Arrested Development is a masterpiece in comedy with such a great ensemble cast where everyone single family member brings comedy gold to the table, that it's so hard to have to pick a favourite character, if for some reason you still haven't seen this show and you enjoy comedy then you really need to get started on this show.

10/10

Arrested Development Season 2 Complete

It was always going to be difficult to keep up to the standard of comedy writing of season 1 which I believe to up there with some of the best ever comedy in U.S. TV of all time, but season 2 gives it a bloody good crack of the whip and it's certainly got the highlights that can hold its own with the quality of season 1; with Michael hiding his father in the attic, Buster's hook hand and Tobias attempts to join the Blue Man Group providing some of the seasons best moments, but the show just can't keep hitting Home Runs one after the other, that's not to say that the show ever gets a strike but more like finding second base far to often to be able to achieve the same success as that first season but nevertheless if like me you loved season 1 then you really do have to tune into season 2 because its GREAT!

8/10

Arrested Development Season 3 Complete

Unfortunately the decline in the quality of the show continues into season 3; this time we have to endure complete dead spots in the show with sections including a televised mock trial of the Bluth Company and a themed area known as 'Wee Britian' that just goes to prove 'you never go full retard' - the writers were clearly swinging for new heights to push the boundaries to keep the show fresh, but they completely miss the ball here. On the plus side though everything outside of these low points of the season are still pretty strong providing a good few laugh out loud moments and the show manages to close really strongly that ultimately it's a positive experience but just feels a little short in terms of quality compared to season 2, but it's still got all our favourite family members delivering the comedy we've grown to love and til this point I've probably found Tobias to be the most consistent it terms of timing with the comedy and Maeby arguably becoming more and more less important as the show comes to a close on its initial run here; it certainly felt like a fitting ending and I would have been happy had there never been a season 4 in all honesty. Still this is a recommendation for Season 3, but just be aware that it's not all wonderful in the Bluth families escapades with a few low points but it all comes to fruition in the end with a Big Bang finale that delivers that comedic knock out punch.

7/10

Arrested Development Season 4 (Episodes 1-2)

Going into season 4 straight away without the wait that obviously occurred during the shows initial run, I was aware that the revival hadn't been completed loved upon its return, it's seems that the show had decided to change up its format of storytelling by giving a slightly longer runtime and dedicating sole attention to a single family member for each episode, now it's still early into the show to fully form an opinion on whether or not it was a wise move to bring Arrested Development back after so many years, but at this point I can't remember laughing out loud or even being amused by these first 2 episodes - it feels dead on arrival and if things don't improve soon I worry that this season might actually tarnish my overall opinion on a show that looking at the first 3 season as a collective as being one of the best comedies to come out of American Television, some shows are obviously and criminally cancelled far to early but I've got a sneaking suspicion that maybe Arrested Development isn't one of those shows; might this have been a show that might have been better left alone? Time will tell.

A Week in Netflix: w/c 01/06/15

Amateur porn, Iranian divorces both home and abroad, an Anime warning and many more and all in a week of Netflix; much has been seen, how much needs to be said is what follows, but overall I'd say it's been a very good week of streaming both in terms of quality and quantity, but enough with the prelude lets rock and roll and talk about everything that I've consumed this week on Netflix.

Film

A Separation

A film that I had been meaning to catch up with following all the Awards season buzz and success that surrounded this Iranian film, I finally managed to see what all the fuss was about and it's clear to see why it had been so successful on those fronts - the setting of an Iranian family home and depicting the legal system of Iran in terms of a domestic issue as well as tackling a couples divorce, subject matter alone this appeals to the Academy crowd, not just this alone though; as the film does showcase some truly outstanding performances across the board (except with maybe one of the younger actors) and it certainly delivers on the drama, but I did end up seeing this film over 2 days and even then at times it felt like a slog. I did feel that the film dropped the ball in the way they handled the child's story within this piece; given the affect of a divorce would play most heavily on the daughter, the script and direction just didn't do enough to hit a home run. You could argue the film to be tedious and you could argue the film to be compelling, its certainly an organic film with natural performances that's heavy on drama and not much else; not a film I'd recommend to everyone, but rather suggest watching the trailer first and if you like a steady slow paced drama then A Separation might just be a film for you.

7/10

The Past

Just by coincidence this week also I manage to pick out a film at random from the same director of A Separation; again it's dramatic, it all revolves around a divorce within a family this time outside of Iran and in France. More contrasting dynamics and while the director has clearly learned from his mistakes with handling the characters most affected from these terrible ordeals, I can't really argue that this is an improvement on A Separation. The drama works and its well acted but it you can't get away from that repetitive feeling that we've seen this all before; you can do it twice, but not again; this director has potential but he really needs to deliver something different next time around or be seen as a one trick pony with nothing more to offer than the same experience with a different skin. I'd probably recommend checking out A Separation first over The Past and if you really end up enjoying A Separation very much then and only then would I recommend catching up with this film, if on the other hand you are only mildly warm to the film as I was, then I'd say that you can quite easily give The Past a miss unless you're really short of films to watch.

6/10

Documentary

Hot Girls Wanted

This recent documentary had seemed to be hitting me in the face via Social Media in the past few weeks and given that the film played at Sundance Film Festival and offered a peek into little explored world of amateur porn and the young girls that find themselves drawn into at the prospect of money and  escapism. What should really be a very interesting and revealing film on this subject matter is nothing more than a lazy and surface level look at amateur porn and the lives of some of the young girls that seem to flood into the business to escape their ordinary family lives. Much of what I took out of this film came from me looking outside of the parameters that the filmmakers had caged themselves into; while the camera is caught up with the mundane and dull aspects of the films agenda going in, there are some elements that can be taken away from this experience if you look really hard and away from the direction this documentary lead us down. Its dull and boring and given the subject matter that is a huge crime to commit; this is nothing more than festival bait and given it's screening at Sundance - it can be deemed a success at achieving it's goal, but looking at the documentary as a whole and its effectiveness - What was its purpose? What is the point/outcome? - Did it make me feel dirty? Yes, but ultimately did the film make me care? No. Quite simply I recommend ignoring this film completely.

3/10

Virunga

The democratic republic of Congo - Virunga where a national park is protected by its own task force, some of which were drafted into the national army straight out of school; It's The Killing Fields meets The Cove, where the wartime photographer is a wildlife documentary filmmaker and the dolphins are gorillas instead. A documentary that is so wonderfully edited together that there are numerous moments in the film where the tension is brought up to extremely high levels, at times you really feel like you're in their with the filmmaker within such a dangerous world of rebels fighting against the government, and whilst this is all going on an Oil company has bought land that puts the National Parks very existence under threat - through politics and civil unrest. With some truly breathtaking photography and some truly heartfelt stories told on screen, its really hard not to love this film, and while I must admit that I'm a sucker for documentaries that showcase the wonders of the natural world and animals for who we share this planet with; outside of that I really feel that this is something special; portraying both the best and worst sides of humanity the film really strikes a chord and on more than one occasion had me welled up with emotion and not only at the sad scenes but also with the love shown between man and gorilla. If you like documentaries then this is an absolute must.

10/10

Anime

Psycho-Pass - (Episodes 19-22) Complete

Well this week saw me come to the very end with Psycho-Pass and I'm happy to report that the series really did nail the ending; truth be told watch the last 4 episodes back-to-back actually felt like a film; pretty much the finale plays out over this last few episodes and doesn't veer from the course both with the characters and the storyline. To the series credit there were a number of surprises and some edge of your seat action moments that gave the series the pay off that it deserved and made all the ups and downs of some of the earlier episodes feel unimportant. Of recent Anime series this has been one of the better ones and while I don't think it is up to the same level as Stein;s Gate - Psycho-Pass is a must see for Anime fans, it certainly not a show that is easy to get into and it does have some problems but overall it manages to overcome this issue and by the time the credits roll, those issues won't even matter - I just hope that a second season follows as the ending leaves you wanting more in the best possible way and the world itself has so so much more to offer us.

8/10

Tokyo Ghoul (Episodes 1-3)

And here comes the Anime warning that I hinted at at the top of this post - as I was informed via Facebook through my activity post that this series has been heavily censored on Netflix and there are some serious issues with the subtitling for this show (all of which came from a friend who I would call an Anime junkie/guru and a reliable source on all things Japanese from Manga to Anime) - now I can't really judge the show going on these first three episodes and knowing about these issues know kind of explains the issues that I had been having with the show; as it came across as a show where the gore seemed more important that story and characters - whereas from what I hear the Manga from which the show is based is highly regarded in terms of story/character development. Stylistically it looks great, but for me it's Dead on Arrival in its current state on Netflix; I personally don't want to waste my time on a show that I now know has been butchered and messed around with in translation; but the fact that its a suspenseful horror adult Anime makes it a show that I really want to catch up with later down the line, just in its full glory and not what is being offered on Netflix. I recommend seeking this show out when its available uncut and in its true form, but really avoid this version on Netflix; as really - why bother with something that has the potential to be great if you know it's been so heavily censored and adjusted?

Knights of Sidonia (Episodes 1-5)

This Netflix original anime series is a little be more different in terms of artistic style than I would normally prefer, with its heavy CGI visuals that do at times really spectacular but don't naturally appeal to my personal taste and that's pretty much translates into my feelings for the show so far. From the opening credits that can be best described as a Eurovision style adaptation of an anime introduction, its catching it's poppy and ridiculously rhythmic and what follows is a super race into the meat and potatoes of the story line and after only the first two episodes, I felt a little lost within the world of Sidonia and even after the first 5 episodes - it's only really the action set pieces that really standout as being truly enjoyable as the characters and the world building along with the character development seems to have been left unattended to at the side of the road. Knights of Sidonia feels like Starship Troopers but as Pacific Rim in space without the social commentary - so much more like Pacific Rim than Starship Troopers, and while I love Pacific Rim - all the negatives that I overlook within that film, I just can't do for Knights of Sidonia. Not to be overly negative on the show, as it is genuinely pretty on the eye and enjoyable to watch, but at this moment in time, I'm really not invested into either the characters, the world or the overall storyline; I'll stick with the show as it's something that could definitely be resolved as the series develops and the further the story develops, but at this moment in time, I can't really say that this is a recommendation without any reservations. Oh and not forgetting the bizarre use of Fan Service in this show is rather odd and most of the time does feel rather out of place by quite some way.

TV

Daredevil (Episodes 7-12)

This show just seems to get better and better with every episodes; and since that slight issue that I had with the episode that had some rather cheap and cheerful moments that dealt with Daredevil's love interest within the series, the show has slipped back into that shit since and has dealt with their relationship in this episodes far more fitting to the tone of the rest of the show. It's been nice to see that the show hasn't been afraid to jump back in time and show us the back story of Matt Murdock including both his childhood after the accident that blinded him and the origins of his friendship with Foggy - the latter has proved to be some of the better stuff the show has to offer as we now have a greater insight into their friendship and it has really made the conflicts between the two in the later episodes certainly carry some extra gravitas. There has been some rather unexpected turns and twists with a number of characters and the direction of the storyline itself and not a single twist or shock hasn't felt natural and organic within the world of Hell's Kitchen. It was so difficult not to finish off the series this week and to just leave that season finale waiting on Netflix for when I next get the chance to tune in to see how this first season all wraps up, but I have every confidence that this show is going to go out with a bang and will end up being one of the highlights of TV in the year of 2015 for me. I'm eager to hear the news about Season 2 and when we can expect to see that appear on Netflix as this show certainly has the quality and definitely has the legs to warrant at least 2 more season, if not more.