Didn't watch any movies last week mostly because I didn't feel like it. I have mostly long movies and/or movies you have to be in the right mood to watch remaining on my DVR. (You can't just sit down and watch Trainspotting whenever. That movie is not going to be an easy experience.) But this week I actually bothered to try out Netflix's online streaming option ... and now I am wondering how the hell it took me two months to give this a shot. The movies have good video quality, they stream at a respectable rate and there are tons of good options. I thank thee, Netflix.
The Magnificent Seven (1960): Good, enjoyable movie, although not nearly as good as the movie it is based on, Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. But I didn't expect it to be, so that didn't bother me too much. Magnificent Seven is a bit less than two-thirds the length of Seven Samurai, so there is less time to develop the characters and their relationships with the townspeople, and the movie relies on western archetypes a lot. But there's a reason those archetypes are relied upon so much -- because people love 'em and instantly recognize the characters. You see Yul Brynner amble about the screen like a badass, and you instantly know what he is all about. Likewise, you see Eli Wallach squirming around like a prick, and you know what a horrible bastard he is. And I have to give props to any movie during a pretty racist time that shows respect to Mexicans and Native Americans (even if there are German and Jewish actors playing Mexicans :p).
Night Moves (1975): Like Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye, Night Moves is about a private investigator who is in way over his head; however, unlike Philip Marlowe in Altman's movie, Harry Moseby (Gene Hackman) never really manages to climb out of the lies and deception. You can't help but feel sorry for the guy -- he tries to be smarter and more cunning than he really is, but deep down he knows he is just grasping at straws and aping the actions of classic private eyes as he tries to solve the case. Moseby isn't even a relic of a bygone era; he just got into the wrong game at the wrong time. Would you trust a man with a case if he couldn't even keep his home life together? The ending is pretty damn crazy, and also really depressing, haha.
My Name is Bruce (2007): Definitely a must for Bruce Campbell fans. Bruce plays a slovenly, drunken asshole-ish version of himself who despises making cheap B-movies, rages against his geeky fans and hits on just about every woman in the movie. The set-up almost doesn't matter: Four teenagers unwittingly unleash the long dormant spirit of the Chinese god of war, Guan-di, who had been protecting the graves of Chinese mine workers who died after a cave-in near a small Oregon town. One of Bruce's biggest fans gets the idea to kidnap Bruce so that he can defeat Guan-di. Watching Bruce rail against the town (which doesn't seem like such a bad place despite being out in the boonies) is hilarious, and the movie is just good, silly horror fun. I wish I could have watched this in a cheap theater with a bunch of other people.
On the queue for this week: Big Fan (2009) and Almost Famous (2000)
Total Movies: 19 (The Taking of Pelham 123, The Station Agent, The Final Destination, Silent Movie, The African Queen, Departures, Moon, Bound, Solaris, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rifftrax), Wristcutters: A Love Story, In the Loop, Public Enemies, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (Rifftrax), Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Lagann-Hen, District 9, The Magnificent Seven, Night Moves, My Name is Bruce)
