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.
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.
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.
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.
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