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Ten great Peerflix finds
2006.11.14 — Entertainment | Movies | Movie Analysis | by Andrew Cole
Peerflix mailer [source] |
I joined the Peerflix DVD trading service back in May and didn't have a lot of luck with it at first. But once the movies started rolling, they've stayed pretty steady except for a four week period where I got nothing despite having a long Want list and 20 Peerbux burning a hole in my pocket. All told, I've received 51 titles and sent out about as many, all at a cost of about $72, plus the cost of the dozen or so DVDs I gave up when I started. I won't count those, because I get to keep the movies I receive, and Holes and the original Italian Job are worth more to me than Pleasantville and Salem's Lot.
UPDATE: Peerflix closed up shop in April 2008.
So, what have I had pass thru my hands and flash up on my own personal silver screen? A lot of junk, actually. One of the advantages of Peerflix, Netflix, and other DVD services is being able to see any movie you think you might find interesting even if you know it's probably not going to be very good. So, I've seen Smilla's Sense of Snow, the original Shaft, Meatballs, The Big Tease, and Stuart Saves His Family, and immediately forgotten them (well, not Meatballs).
So, what have I had pass thru my hands and flash up on my own personal silver screen? A lot of junk, actually . |
But such services also allow you to see real classics that you know you may not love enough to purchase. And, unlike rentals, you can watch them at your leisure. You own them now, and you can let them sit on your shelf until you're in the mood. The Green Mile has lain on my shelf for three months. (The Shawshank Redemption sat on my shelf for three years before I got in the mood to watch it—and I ended up loving it.)
Here they are, in no particular order....
Collateral
Sleek and thoughtful, well-acted all around, this hitman thriller was a mild hit, but my belief that either Tom Cruise or Jamie Foxx would mess it up kept me from seeing it in the theater. I was astonished to find that not only Jamie Foxx was great but Tom Cruise, whom I had written off as an actor, was terrific. His deconstruction of Foxx's character as a man who cannot be decisive is devastating. I agree with the critics who said that the ending was a mess, but it was a fun ride getting there.
Diner
A Baltimore classic from Barry Levinson, Diner featured several actors who went on to become minor stars on their own. It was pretty much the nostalgic reminiscence I thought it was going to be, but fun while it lasted. Somehow, I thought it would go further than it did, like American Graffiti, a film that really surprised me with how big and how well-done it was.
Raging Bull
It's basically the story of a real guy's life, so Jake couldn't start fighting robots or something. |
One of those movies that my study of cinema had overlooked (I'm not a fan of gritty urban drama or boxing movies), this was a bonafide classic from Martin Scorsese with DeNiro and Pesci. It was nice to see the scenes and hear the dialog I'd seen parodied so many times, but ultimately it rang a bit hollow. It's basically the story of a real guy's life, so Jake couldn't start fighting robots or something. Still, you pick a guy to tell his life story and it ought to teach you something. This movie taught me that some guys are assholes I don't want to know.
Holes
I remember Holes getting good press and decent box office, but I knew it was a Disney movie aimed at preteens, so I classed it with The Princess Diaries and passed it by. In reality, Holes is a complex, thoughtful, remarkably tightly-structured story involving delinquents sent to a desert work camp to dig holes and the secrets they uncover. And it is sometimes as serious and poignant as any film aimed at adults, but also as playful and rowdy as any kid could hope for. It's like The Goonies, but with more depth and heart; and I love The Goonies.
Barton Fink
It's one of those movies where, afterwards, you spend a little time trying to figure out what was real and what was imagined. |
I really didn't know much about it going in, but wow, was I blown away watching it. Essentially the Coen brothers' take on the (old) Hollywood system, it was layered with symbolism and meaning in a way I'd never considered a film could do properly. It's one of those movies where, afterwards, you spend a little time trying to figure out what was real and what was imagined. I'd seen it done badly in Angel Heart, but Barton Fink plays with fire and doesn't get burned.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
A film that got very good reviews in its theatrical release, Mind was probably too weird to become very popular. It was written by Charlie Kaufman, who specializes in oddities that play with time and perception (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) and finally gives Jim Carrey a really good excuse to use his ability to seem normal and act crazy. Terrific support from Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, and Tom Wilkinson.
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
A slick Hollyweird murder mystery with Robert Downey, Jr. as a thief-turned-actor and Val Kilmer as a private detective digging up dirt. Downey is clever and sardonic, but Kilmer (and others) keep getting the better of him with even deader deadpan humor. This probably would have hit pretty big if Kilmer's character hadn't been gay; it doesn't figure into the plot, so it was probably a mistake, at least in terms of box office draw.
The Merchant of Venice
Al Pacino takes up Shakespeare and hits it out of the park. It's the story of a Jewish moneylender who tries to avenge insults by demanding an actual pound of flesh when merchant Jeremy Irons can't pay back the money he borrowed. Joseph Fiennes used the money to woo the distant and wealthy Portia. We're tempted to side with Shylock and feel he merely goes too far. But Shylock is a despicable gangster who deserved everything he got (except the gratuitous antisemitism that started the mess). His passionate speech ("If you prick us, do we not bleed?") is really a crooked defense of bloody vengeance.
The Italian Job
It's a man's fantasy of cars, women, cleverness, scenic Italy, and money. |
The recent American remake failed to capture the spirit of the original because it was just a heist movie. But the original is a brilliant and funny caper driven by Michael Caine's adorable character and its quirky Englishness (not to mention Quincy Jones's clever and fitting score). It's a man's fantasy of cars, women, cleverness, scenic Italy, and money. The remake borrowed nothing more than the clever Mini getaway, but the original is just as clever about every other part of story. It was a lot like Snatch or Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels... but so much more fun.
Waiting for Guffman
Having come into the middle of the Christopher Guest mockumentary canon (Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and now For Your Consideration), I missed Guffman. It is the story of a small-town theater director who tries a little too hard to put on a 150th anniversary show for his town—a show he thinks might be worthy of Broadway. Guest casts the usual suspects (Catherine O'Hara, Fred Willard, Eugene Levy, Parker Posey) and lets them improvise; the result is Guest's trademark comedy of people who take themselves a bit too seriously. Once the actual show starts, the song and dance routines (with music by Spinal Tap pals McKeon and Shearer) will keep you rolling. And the 35 minutes of deleted scenes are not to be missed.
And an honorable mention...
...God do I love Kirk Douglas now. Kirk Douglas is the greatest. |
I also want to give a shout out to my main man Kirk Douglas. I knew him from my youth as the tough old guy in Tough Guys and the tough ancient guy in Spartacus. But after being charmed by his villain in the wonderful noir Out of the Past, I used Peerflix to get The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, The Big Trees, and The Vikings. I didn't really love those movies, but God do I love Kirk Douglas now. Kirk Douglas is the greatest.
Bonus
I've also been prompted by Peerflix to go and buy movies that I decided I couldn't wait for. Some of these turned out to be really great and deserve mention also.
Cinema Paradiso—An Italian classic from the 80s that astonished me with its craftsmanship. The ending with Salvatore watching the edited-together clips of hundreds of kisses cut out of old films on the orders of the local priest is one of the greatest scenes ever put on film.
Brick—Terrific little mystery set in a modern high school and textured with the slang and mannerisms of 1950s film noir. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is fantastic as the alienated and slightly obsessive ex who takes the detective work upon himself.
Lucky Number Slevin—I've discussed Lucky Number Slevin elsewhere. It was fun ride in the right direction.
Don't Look Back—This 1965 documentary about Bob Dylan's tour of England captures Dylan on the cusp of going electric and shows the brashness of youth and vastness of his talent. It cheats a little (we see nothing of his breakup with Joan Baez—she just disappears), but the portrait is pretty complete (even drunk, he's concerned about who threw a bottle out the window). This is where the iconic "Subterranean Homesick Blues" video comes from.
f e e d b a c k
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