Back in the early days of home video some of you may remember this practice; scoping the shelves at the local video store, trying to decide what to watch.
I always loved that ritual. I don’t do it anymore. Probably few us do, mainly because technological advances have afforded us so many alternatives to this practice. One of these is the newly launched Netflix in Canada.
But I’ll get to that in a moment.
For me, another factor is that few new films can beat some of the superior TV shows that have been produced in recent years. This is the real golden age of television. Dexter and The Shield are easily some of my favourites. The Shield, most of all, is outstanding. Never a dull episode, constantly riveting, and the series finale left me awestruck. No story thread was left hanging, and every character meets with a fitting end.
Michael Chiklis as Detective Vic Mackey in THE SHIELD, easily one of the best shows on television.
What happened to the Vic Mackey character was particularly brilliant.
By comparison such popular shows as Lost, Battlestar Galactica and The Sopranos never accomplished that trick and, to me, are overrated — but even they soar above the majority of new features out there. John Doyle and A.O. Scott are at least two critics who have noticed that, but Scott said it best: “But the traditional relationship between film and television has reversed, as American movies have become conservative and cautious, while scripted series, on both broadcast networks and cable, are often more daring, topical and willing to risk giving offense.”
Still, I miss the ritual of scoping the video store shelves. I almost enjoyed it as much as watching the movies themselves. I got so obsessive-compulsive that I used to travel great distances in search of the best rental place.
Which was the best store in Toronto? Back in the 1980s it was no contest. It was Budget Video on Nicholas Street (south-west of Yonge and Bloor). They had so many movies the container boxes had to be squished and filed away like index cards. It made browsing a pain-in-the-neck but, with such a huge collection, I was always finding a great movie I thought I’d never see. The thrill is probably similar to what archeologists go through. Budget Video was like finding some ancient tomb filled with lost treasures.
Which was the best in North America? That would probably be Tower Records in Hollywood. The place was massive and filled with rarities and imports. It was definitely worth a trip to L.A.
Today, places like Tower Records and Budget Video are gone. They went out of business years ago. Indeed, the days of renting videos and paying late fees are pretty much over. Those left standing — if they survive — will never do the kind of lucrative business they once did.
If you look closely at the decline of Blockbuster, for example, you’ll notice a curious pattern. They are pretty much dead in urban centres, but they’re still turning a profit (barely) in rural regions. Why? Because new technology and delivery methods have been slow to reach these areas.
In short, only one thing is keeping the remaining brick-and-mortar stores alive. It can be summed up in one word: convenience
If you live on a farm, and want to watch a new release, the town video store is still your best bet — for now.
But the majority of us live in less-isolated communities, and conveniences like VOD, TiVo and Netflix are changing how we watch movies at home. And with the rise of big-screen LCDs, 5.1 sound and blu-ray technology, more and more living rooms provide a better theatrical experience than theatres themselves.
We all like convenience. Especially if it’s reasonably price. And that’s what Netflix capitalizes on.
So this week I decided to revive an old habit, scope what this new Canadian service had available, and highlight some titles that some of you may not have seen yet.
… or ones that might be worth a second look.
Many have noted that Netflix‘s debut selection is fairly slim — it is — but for a free first month, and only $7.99/month thereafter, there’s still plenty of good vintage entertainment to be found.
Here are a bunch that jumped out as worthy recommendations, listed in alphabetical order:
THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN – Never has mundane lab work been made to appear so exciting. This sci-fi thriller focuses on a group of scientists who are trying to identify an alien virus that was picked up by a satellite, which then crashed to earth, and wiped out an entire desert town. The virus is still in the atmosphere and race is on to find a way to kill it before it spreads.
Huge sections of the film is spent watching the scientists going through their manicured routines, but the seriousness of their mission is never forgotten – by them or the viewer.
The film nicely captures a mood of realism all-too-often missing from such thrillers, avoiding cheap action thrills and combative characters.
Indeed, the one misstep of this film was the addition of the laser-gun sequence near the end. But it was not as major a flaw as the recent TV mini-series remake, which added additional characters, conspiracy subplots and a needless explanation for what the virus really was.
THE BLACK STALLION – Great film for all ages.
It’s difficult to single out the best part – the beautiful visuals, the extraordinary animal action, the story, or its likable characters – but, to me, the most impressive part is opening sequence when the hero of our story (a young boy played by Kelly Reno) is marooned on an island with “Black” – a wild, untamed stallion. For almost a half-hour not a word is spoken as the relationship between this boy and a horse grows to one of love and trust.
Since the introduction of sound in cinema, the movies have tended to be overly reliant on the use of dialogue to help tell a story. Here is a film dares to shut up and just let the visuals tell the story. Without a word being said, we know exactly what the boy – and even the horse – must be thinking and feeling. This is rare.
As the years pass I grow less satisfied with how the last half of the film plays out — especially the final scene. Though it’s a triumphant moment, it’s a selfish one for the boy. It involves exploiting the one friend – the “Black” – who has earned his love and trust (and there are moments when it’s made obvious that the whole experience is quite traumatic for the horse).
But as the credits roll, we return to footage of the two of them rolling around on a sandy beach – a scene from when they were marooned. The boy looks so tiny, and the horse so huge. It looks both beautiful and scary, and they seem so happy and content.
At this point I always forget about the story and simply marvel at how on earth they shot that, and how I wish I were that young boy.
CHEECH & CHONG’S UP IN SMOKE – Still one of the funniest films ever made. Oddly, even fans often dismiss it as being plotless — claiming it’s just a series of comic sketches — but it’s simply not true. Every scene about these stoner dudes is structured around two primary goals — scoring some dope, and winning a music contest. The misadventures that follow help them achieve both goals in a very unexpected, and triumphant way.
Like many of the best comedy teams, much of their charm is their child-like innocence. They’re more like kids looking for some harmless fun.
Of course authority figures are always trying to snuff out their party — particularly Stacy Keach as a marvellously bullheaded drug cop named Sgt. Stedenko — yet, without conscious effort, Cheech & Chong always manage thwart their efforts and put them to shame.
It’s too bad more comedies don’t learn from this film. Too often they allow themselves to get bogged down by complex plotting. My friend Andrew once commented that a movie like Strange Brew would have worked much better if it had followed this template and simply made it about Bob & Doug looking to buy a case of beer on a Saturday night, only to find that the Beer Store is closed. Instead, the film crafts a convoluted plot about an evil brewery owner, forcing it to spend a lot of unnecessary time on dreary exposition.
Up in Smoke keeps it simple and hilarious, leaving us with a host of memorable comic moments.
DAZED AND CONFUSED – The year is 1976. The place: a high school in Texas. It is the last day of school and all the kids are pondering their futures.
Some just hope to survive the day without getting beaten up.
Either way they all have to make some tough choices; some big, most of them small. But for a young kid, even the littlest thing — like avoiding a redneck tough, or signing a pledge sheet — could drastically change the direction of their lives. The fact that they realize this is one of the film’s few contrivances. No kid was ever that perceptive.
There are about a dozen or so key characters, and the film effortlessly bounces back-and-forth between each one. The main story involves the organizing of a party, but it’s the plight of the individual characters that’s the main focus. Each represents a different clique — jocks, popular kids, geeky kids, freshmen and seniors — and they all undergo some form of transformation/awareness as the events of the day unfold. They also all find a way to get along and party together.
In other words, it’s total fantasy.
Sure, there conflicts and rivalries, but the overriding spirit is one of friendship and togetherness. Despite this unlikely camaraderie, this is one of the few films that real nails how teenagers often talk, think and behave. Especially back in the 70s. This is why the film works for teenagers — who can relate to the feelings and attitudes expressed — and older folk like me who remember when we thought and behaved like that.
My high school experiences were nothing like those portrayed in this film — though I do remember killing time with my friends writing down every episode of Gilligan’s Island we could remember on a blackboard — but I wish they had. It really is an idealized view of what it could have been like and, on that level, the film really hooked me.
That, coupled with its great naturalistic sense of humour, makes it great fun to watch. You can’t help but develop a fondness for the characters, especially the good-hearted ones. They all exit the story with smiles on their faces, and so do we.
NOTE: Matthew McConaughey, Milla Jovovich, and Ben Affleck are just some of young actors who made earlier appearances in this film. McConaughey shines best as the aging graduate who refuses to grow up.
FINAL DESTINATION 2 – With Halloween coming, this is one of the better horror releases in recent years. Though obviously a sequel (there was also a Final Destination 3) this is the best of the bunch.
The centerpiece scene – a massive highway car pile-up – is wild, but some of the subsequent death scenes are even more outrageously gory.
Perfect popcorn entertainment for fans that like their horror bloody.
FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONE – The Guns of Navarone is a classic award-winning war adventure and, when this sequel was first released, it was judged to be a weak follow-up. I think it’s a lot more fun.
Robert Shaw and Harrison Ford make good use of their stern features, but I especially enjoy watching Edward Fox as the jovial explosives expert.
There’s plenty of action and intrigue, and I find the ending much more triumphant than the original (though, I admit, the use of miniature f/x is not especially good).
FRIENDS WITH MONEY – If you like relationship tales, this should appeal. It follows the lives of four women who have been friends for years, and who support each other through their various problems.
Three of them are already married and well-off, and the problems they face are mostly trivial. If not for the fact they are played by Frances McDormand, Joan Cusack and Catherine Keener, they would surely be much more annoying to watch.
They all feel sorry for their cash-strapped single friend, played by Jennifer Aniston, but as the story progresses, she turns out to be richer than any of them — at least when it comes to love. Aniston is definitely the best one to watch in this story.
HAPPINESS – This is a film that is almost impossible to describe. It follows the lives of various, seemingly unconnected characters and, despite the film’s title, they are mostly sad people with some very real problems. Few of who find any real happiness in the end.
One is a child molester, another is a wanna-be-rapist, and then there’s the insecure woman who is constantly being used as a doormat by men. But what makes the story engaging – and often funny – is that almost all them end up, at one point or another, experiencing a moment of truth.
They all either witness, or deliver, at least one scene of total, undiluted honesty where a character lays bare their darkest, most secret, perverted desire or action. There is little hesitation, and certainly no restraint. Ultimately all is revealed.
We exist in a world where almost none of us dare to be this truthful – to anyone – and, in a way, it’s refreshing to imagine that there are people willing to be this open. No matter how sick & twisted they may be.
I suspect this is why many find the film funny, but are unsure why they do. They are even troubled by their own laughter. How could rape and child molestation be funny (mind you, such acts are never shown in the film)? But it’s not the act we find funny, but the daring to confront it.
This is a film that dares to confront a lot.
MOONLIGHTING – What is most remarkable about this film is how it was made.
On December 13, 1981, the communist government in Poland introduced martial law. It was big news in the Western media. Polish writer/director Jerzy Skolimowski was living in England at the time and watched the news with concern. Almost immediately he conceived the story of Moonlighting, about Polish workers who are contracted to restore a house in London, led by an English-speaking foreman, unaware of the unrest that erupts in their native Poland while they’re away.
Skolimowski then managed to cast Jeremy Iron in the lead role, raised the funding, shot the film in less than 2 months, and by May 1982 – a period of five months since the start of it all – premiered the completed film at Cannes. That has to be some kind of record.
Most remarkably, it doesn’t feel like a rushed film at all. It tells a simple story with wit and charm and, unless you’re looking for it, you won’t realize its loaded with pointed criticism of the Polish government. But it’s there, in almost every scene.
But don’t worry. You’re more likely to be laughing at the film’s many poignant moments, and never feel you’re being preached at. Too bad more filmmakers never learn this trick.
NOTE: The film hasn’t been available on home video since the days of VHS. It was finally released last year on dvd.
THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS – Another gory treat for Halloween.
Written and directed by Wes Craven, most known for his A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Last House on the Left and Scream, The People Under the Stairs is often accused as being one of his weakest films. I think it’s one of his best.
It’s highly original, strangely political (it’s clearly a cautionary tale about what Reaganomics has wrought), wickedly funny at times, as well as gory and disturbing (isn’t this a good thing for a horror film?).
I especially like that the so-called “people under the stairs” actually turn out to be heroic characters. But some have trouble with originality, and the criticism often relates to things like these latter characters not being very scary.
This is not the first time horror fans puzzle me.
RUNAWAY TRAIN – Based on a screenplay by Akira Kurosawa, this may be my favourite thriller of all time.
Thrillers often have cliffhanger moments but there’s rarely any sense of genuine peril. We know who the good guys are, and the bad ones, and when the good guys are in trouble we instinctively know the film will figure out a way for the hero to save the day.
There’s none of that nonsense here.
Jon Voight and Eric Roberts play two unrepentant convicts who escape from a high-security prison in Alaska and stow away on a freight train. As fate would have it, the train loses its engineer to a heart attack and propels out-of-control towards certain doom. The dilemma is; can they stop the train before it kills them? And even if they do, their vicious jail warden (who now knows where are) is sure to swoop down and throw them back in jail, determined to make their lives even more miserable than he already has.
We never get a clear idea of what crime the Jon Voight character committed to deserve the harsh treatment he endured in prison but, as we come to realize, nobody deserves it. For that reason alone we pray he figures a way out of the pickle he’s now in.
His wisdom is also worthy of admiration. When a character accuses him of being an “animal” he retorts “No, worse! Human.” More outstanding is the monologue he delivers about living life as an ex-convict. It’s rambling, and grammatically awkward, but totally on-the-money.
Between the many character-defining moments are some riveting action scenes as everyone, both on and off the train, fight to ensure nobody dies. Set in the icy cold of Alaska, you can almost feel the whipping rush of air as the main characters dangle off the sides of locomotives, vainly trying to stop the inevitable.
How it all ends is breathtaking. All I’ll say is, I can’t imagine a more perfect conclusion to such an unusual thriller.
THE SCORPION KING – I avoided this film for a long time because I had already seen the character of the “Scorpion King” in The Mummy Returns (the role was also played by The Rock), and he was not an appealing presence. He was little else than a giant, silly-looking CGI lobster — and he was not a good guy.
But here the Scorpion King is all-man, all-charming and, in addition to his wonderful physique, has the same great sense of humour that Brendan Fraser helped bring to the “Mummy” movies. How on earth he becomes a “bad guy” in The Mummy Returns makes no sense whatsoever. Thank goodness no one bothers to explain.
The story is largely inconsequential because it’s your typical adventure tale about morally-upstanding characters defeating evil ones, and doing so with lots of action and thrills — and there’s plenty of that in this one.
Helped along by a beautiful love interest (Kelly Hu) and his comic-relief sidekick (Grant Heslov), The Rock (now known by his real name, Dwayne Johnson) really demonstrates his strength to be a leading star. He is a joy to watch, whether he’s beating up bad guys, or throwing out a cute one-liner.
Like Arnold Schwarzenegger, he has since used his winning smile and bulging muscles to good effect in family comedies like The Game Plan and The Tooth Fairy, but he still shines best in this film. He deserves be a bigger star than he is.
SECRETARY – In an age when a new romantic comedy seems to be released every week, it’s surprising this remains one of the best romance films made this century — especially for a story this strange, as well as potentially perverse and demeaning.
One of the key elements that saves it from ridicule is the acting. James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal are spectacular given the characters they play. He is a controlling, socially inept lawyer with dominant sexual desires. She is an insecure masochist who, through him, discovers the joy of S&M sex. In short, they discover they are perfect for one another.
Most romantic comedies follow this formula, of two characters with disparate characteristics discovering their shared needs and desires. What is unusual here is that he feels the need to give her a hard-ass spanking — and she realizes she likes it.
Despite the dominant/submissive nature of their sexual relationship, what saves this from being an unsettling premise is that she is the one ultimately in control. Her self-confidence soars as the relationship progresses and, when the guilt of his actions provokes him to stop their liaisons, she takes drastic action to prove that it’s okay. This is revealed in an especially poignant moment when he says, “Look, we can’t do this 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” She just gives him a crooked smile and says, “Why not?”
These are damaged characters who would likely suffer, and be insufferable, the rest of their lives if they hadn’t met each other. While the path they take is not for everyone, it sure is perfect for them.
SNEAKERS – Check out this list of cast members: Robert Redford, Ben Kingsley, Sidney Poitier, River Phoenix, Dan Aykroyd, David Strathairn and Mary McDonnell. Back in 1992, when this film was released, this was an impressive list of people to have in one film. And it’s mostly thanks to them that this relatively routine thriller is more fun than it should be.
The story involves a team of espionage experts who discover a super code-breaking machine has fallen into the hands of a villain who could possibly hack into any computer network in the world – NORAD, air traffic control, major banks – and spread worldwide terror.
Believe it or not, the premise is not as exciting as it sounds.
By comparison, a film like Enemy of the State — with its much more small-scale dilemma of an incriminating videotape — is ten times more thrilling. What makes this film fun is the camaraderie of its characters.
The characters mostly represent stereotypes — part of a team, each with their own set of skills — but the actors all manage to make their small parts loveable, provoking a yearning that their characters meet with a happy end.
Ben Kingsley brings his usual aristocratic class to his villain character but, sadly, he is saddled with some hokey character motivations, and is forced to explain them via the cliché tell-everything-to-the-hero-while-pointing-a-gun-at-him method.
Routine thriller elements aside, this is still a fun waste of 2 hours as you watch a cast of great actors doing what they do best.
This is one of the rare occasions when great acting talent saves what should have been a forgettable movie.
SUBWAY – This was the film that helped launch the career of director Luc Besson (La Femme Nikita, The Professional, The Fifth Element).
What stands out — as with many of his later films — is not his command of plotting but his ability to create strange characters in strange surroundings, making them both kooky and loveable. It’s helped by his flair for striking visuals — in lighting, camera movements and costumes — and has rarely been as unusually beautiful.
Christopher Lambert plays a small-time thief who, after a wild car chase scene that opens the film, hides out in the bowels of the Paris subway system where he befriends its unusual inhabitants.
Lambert has never been as engaging and playful, with his smart-looking tux, spiky hair and boyish grin. As you watch him, it’s easy to see why he tends to charm everyone he meets, including the rich girl he tries to woo (played by Isabelle Adjani). She’s clearly annoyed by his childish antics, but his sweetness is too irresistible.
The story makes little sense, and the ending feels especially disjointed and unsatisfying, but it’s the rhythm of the film that’s hypnotic — like when the characters stop to listen to some music. They just let the poetry of the moment carry their thoughts away.
In a way, Subway plays more like a song than movie. It doesn’t so much tell a story as it does convey a feeling – and the feeling here is heart-warming.
THIEF – Writer/director/producer Michael Mann has had a repeated fascination with criminals and some of his most acclaimed films (Heat and Public Enemies) have dared to depict them as honourable men, worthy of respect. But their inevitable demise has never been as brilliantly realized as in this film. Its ending has always made me go “Wow…”
It’s not a happy ending, but it sure is an unusually perfect one.
The title character (played by James Cann) has his weaknesses, but they’re understandable ones. Having been “raised by the state” he is often socially inept, uncouth and — especially in the scenes with his love interest, played by Tuesday Weld — a public embarrassment. But he’s good at what he does for a living, and smart enough not to get caught. Audiences always seem to love a guy who’s good at his job.
More significantly, his desire to build a life of normalcy — mainly to have a wife and kids — shows him to be a bit of a sweetheart. His explanation for why he feels this way marks one of the film’s many highlights. But this ambition for “normalcy” also tempts him to discard his cautious work routine in favour of some big-score thieving for a seemingly benign mob boss.
He doesn’t realize he’s about to make the most dangerous mistake of his life, and one that puts the lives of his new family in jeopardy.
The thrills and suspense are further heightened by a stunning visual style, one of the best music scores ever composed (by Tangerine Dream) and outstanding performances throughout. Even tiny moments from tiny characters add incredible weight to scenes. Watch, for example, the brief reaction shot from the wife of the mob boss in the final scene.
If you’re a fan of any of Mann’s later films (Manhunter, Collateral, Heat, The Insider, Public Enemies) you’re sure to love this one. After three decades, it’s still his best.
THE TRAIN – Director John Frankenheimer is known for having made a number of acclaimed dramas and thrillers like Birdman of Alcatraz, Seconds, The Manchurian Candidate, Black Sunday and Ronin, but I consider The Train to be his most exciting.
The story is set in 1944. The Nazis are being driven out of France but, before they leave, the country’s most valuable paintings are taken from museums and loaded on a train to Germany. The French Resistance uncovers their ploy so they recruit rail workers to help them keep the cargo in France, as well as protect it from damage.
What helps makes it interesting is that the rail workers they recruit — particularly the engineer Labiche, played by Burt Lancaster — are working stiffs who know nothing about Picasso or Van Gogh. At first they don’t understand why they should risk their lives to protect something they’ve never seen or cared about. Who cares about a bunch of paintings? But when they witness the risks and sacrifices others make for the cause, they grow more and more willing to sacrifice their own lives to protect that which they don’t see or understand.
Aided by some marvelous black-and-white photography, there are some remarkable big-scale action scenes. The scene of a railway yard being air-bombed is particularly dramatic. Frankenheimer succeeds in capturing multiple actions and stunts in a single take, which helps heighten the sense of realism. When two trains are seen crashing, it’s actually two trains crashing. No miniatures or visual effects.
The end result is an emotional thrill ride filled with constant suspense.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The last few weeks have been a busy time, helping to promote the 
Yet the antagonist is not supposed to reflect the dim-witted thought processes of Dr. Evil. They’re Terminators. Menacing machines, programmed to kill. The embodiment of the Scott Evil philosophy of don’t-dilly-dally. It’s what made the earlier stories so terrifying. It’s why they’re called “terminators” in the first place. As the Kyle Reese character succinctly explained in the first movie, “It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead.”
