NetFlix Bandit

Browsing through NetFlix’s online streaming collection is not unlike a Sunday afternoon at Home Depot. Aisles and aisles of useful stuff but with no attendant to assist. This is what I waded through recently – at NetFlix; not Home Depot.

Went Looking For…

Firefly

  Cyberspace is atwitter over Joss Whedon’s involvement in the impending Avenger franchise. It made me go back to where it all started (for me) Whedon-wise – the short-lived Firefly series. Queued up the TV series and Serenity, its big screen wrap up party. For the uninitiated, this is Star Wars with more Hans Solo and less, nay, no royal baggage. For the initiated, I apologize for the previous line. I managed to recapture the first three episodes. Good news – the series is still just as great as it was the first time around. Nathan Fillion is visibly less puffy in his pre-Castle days. Rest of the acting arsenal is intact.

Ended Up With…

Chak De! India and A League of Their Own

Shimit Amin lives a double life. I am convinced of this. He lives in L.A and has a repertoire of editing work for American movies and television. Meanwhile, his Avatar creates Bollywood movies that test the conventions of mainstream cinema in India. “Chak De! India”, his most successful movie yet, should prove this point. It IS based on “A League of Their Own”. Do not believe the people (mainly the writers behind the movie) who suggest otherwise. However, it is a great adaptation. The plan is to watch both of them this week - just to compare and contrast and challenge the fore-mentioned writers if it ever  comes to that. Right away, I can assure you that CDI is not a straight lift of ALOTO. This is an inspired adaptation but an adaptation nevertheless. It is always a pleasure to watch Shah Rukh Khan not be Shah Rukh Khan on screen. The movie centers around hockey – turf hockey not the ice variety. The latter won’t work in India due to the Gandhian by-laws of non-violence and presence of the equator. Even then, turf hockey has long been overlooked by the Indian populace in favor of the sponsor friendly game of cricket.The theme song became sort of an anthem and was played during India’s successful win in the maiden T20 world championship of (gotta love the irony) cricket.

The Missing Person

Dark? Check. Alcoholic Jerk of a P.I? Check. Noir? Check. I found myself letting out a strange (even for me) growl-like sound when I saw this movie in the streaming section of NetFlix. This would do great for that sleepless Wednesday night. A recent viewing of “The Big Sleep” was the last film noir that I sipped on. While that was more of a legend driven vehicle, “The Missing Person” should satisfy the more primal need of watching a brooding dark story unfold through great actors and dialogs. Amy Ryan, fan since ironically her HR act in the US version of “The Office”, seems to relish the mood setting of this genre and she was great in “Gone Baby Gone”.

Moon

Sam Rockwell is a home office worker who has among other worries a growing distrust of his employer. All his business is through telecommuting. No water-cooler talk. The fact that he is an astronaut stationed in our only natural satellite is only coincidental. This movie is an ode to work from home warriors. Maybe not. However, the premise and talent involved makes this a must see and since Wednesday sleepless night is already book this has to be slotted in for Thursday early morning. I hope this is not Sam’s take on Clooney’s Solaris.

NetFlix is messing with its subscriber base by introducing “Inglorious Bastards” to the list. This is not the Quentin Tarantino movie. Har Har. I am tempted to but chance are I will not watch this one.

In case you are wondering, I brought home a manual and appointment confirmation for a water filter system from Home Depot. I’d gone there to buy a fluorescent bulb.