Back to Netflix but with a twist

A combination of late summer ennui, the lack of things to do generally, the fact I’ve exhausted much of the film inventory on the Criterion Channel, and general boredom, forced my hand and late Saturday afternoon I returned to Netflix, after dropping the screening service two years ago because I found its content so lackluster. But I don’t have to fork over the $10-plus I used to pay. I signed for the $5.99 plan - with advertising – and it’s obviously  a hell of a lot cheaper. The ads? Not a problem at all. They’re 30 seconds or under - mainly one at a time - rather unobtrusive, better produced than TV ads, and you’re immediately returned to the programming. And they’re spaced within tolerable limits. What a diff from the next subscription level at $16.49! I really recommend this plan. My previous dislike of Netflix was that there were too few interesting movies. But more and more first rate moves are now being made exclusively for Netflix. And for the first time I’m watching TV series – yes “binge” watching. My rule-of-thumb is to watch the first episode and then decide whether to discard. I’ve done this with Pieces of Her, The Diplomat, The Marked Heart, Ginny & Georgia and The Mess You Leave Behind. I’ve stuck with all six episodes of the acclaimed Brit political thriller Anatomy of a Scandal, eight episodes of The Tailor (photo), a drama from Turkey. And it appears I’m sticking with Maestro in Blue, a mystery from Greece, having completed two of the nine episodes. I had to break out laughing, however, that Netflix now gives caution notices for “smoking.” While there is also a “substances” warning, more to the point would be an “alcohol consumption” warning since so many of these series feature the protagonists consuming copious amounts of spirits and wine. I’ve also started turning on subtitles, mainly because I find it so hard to understand what many characters are saying, particularly in Brit shows! But I’m of two-minds. While improving understanding of the story, subtitles also read like a script and the actors’ dialogue seems more stilted, as if they’re really acting. As well, I wonder if this will become a crutch and when I see a film at a regular theatre I’ll be disappointed there aren’t subtitles and I'll lose my comprehension acuity. Coincidentally, on Sunday the New York Post had a big article on how so many Netflix viewers are now using subtitles as they watch a movie, and most of them are young! https://nypost.com/2023/08/19/how-subtitles-are-changing-global-television-habits/  And another irritation, the foreign series I’ve watched are all dubbed. This is tolerable but also annoying since the dubbing emotionally doesn’t always match the body language and can seem artificial. 

Barbieheimer - I saw them both

Ok, I went to see Barbie after all. Compromises are made for friends. Despite all the “controversy” stirred up by the movie – everything from it’s a feminist rant, to male-bashing to even “fascist,” I hardly saw an overt political message. I enjoyed the picture and thought it was rather brilliantly made on director Greta Gerwig’s part. I thought the movie was “true to script” for what the iconic Barbie doll (trademarked 1959) always has been. That’s a symbol of independently minded womanhood (she can be anything, excel to the greatest heights, and take on any career) that a little girl would want. So, in that sense, she represented liberation and feminism, though people didn’t use the terms back then. But Barbie always was double-edged – a “feminist” icon yet having a totally unrealistic physical body, and hence the equal condemnation by, ironically, feminists. As for male-bashing, yes, Ken and company often get the cold shoulder. But we always knew that, as dolls (and, no, I didn’t play with them) Barbie kept Ken at a distance…….

Now on to Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s biopic of the alleged father (played by a brooding Cillian Murphy)  of the atomic bomb (I say alleged because there were other scientific collaborators). Disappointment. Not over the quality of the film though it was a tad too long at three hours. Not because of the acting, which was pretty good. But because 80 per cent of it dealt with the McCarthy Era and persecution of alleged Communists working for the US government. How many times does Hollywood have to drag out this trope? Yes, Hollywood was targeted in the 1940s and 50s and yes there was a Hollywood “blacklist.” But this is 70 years later – get over it. 

I like Imagine Lakeshore Cinemas for many things. It's a successful homegrown independent theatre chain  that also supports locally-made films and non-mainstream movies like currently-playing Sound of Freedom (Alejandro Monteverde). But I don't understand why there are the solid barriers between rolls of seats. Unfortunately they cut off about an eight of the movie screen from view.