Features-The Jerk's 5 favorite Netflix shows 8/22

It's been a little longer than a week since I was able to update the best of the best Netflix has to offer on the boob-tube.  But alas, I have returned with a list of what all of you Jerks should be watching.



5.  Deadliest Warrior- What a manly show.  "Let's take 2 killers and test their weapons to see who would kill who".  With warriors like Jesse James, Shaka Zhulu, and The Nazi SS, there is no shortage of carnage dealt forth in the labs.  Inaccurate as the tests may be, it is still just awesome to watch weird dudes with big guns tear stuff apart.

4.   American Dad-  Family Guy sucks pretty badly.  I hate to say that but it undoubtedly just sucks.  American Dad is a different story altogether.  Seth Macfarlane takes the "Like that time I"'s out of his overweight, high-voiced man-child and replaces them with one of the wittiest, most ridiculous, but mainly- American men to ever grace our screens.

3.  Park and Recreation- I was born ready.  I'm Ron f*cking Swanson.  Watch Leslie Knope, Tom Haverford, and the rest of the Parks Department take on menial, at best irritating problems with the veracity and passion of- well I can't think of a branch of our government that cares this much.  That sucks.

2.  Trailer Park Boys- The boys just want to drink liquor, smoke dope, and live like kings in Sunnyvale Trailer Park.  Is that so much to ask?  Apparently it is.  Trailer Park Boys is the remarkably, stupidly genius Canadian comedy about Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles living the white trash dream.  Despite their best efforts the boys just seem to wreak of arrest warrants.  Give this little-known gem a try when you miss out on that promotion.  You deserve it.

1.  South Park- Every now and then I go on a South Park kick that makes me wonder why I am not always on a South Park kick.  Cartman, Kenny, Stan, and Kyle may have some pretty messed up adventures, but their friendship has kept me in stitches for over a decade now.  Keep it up boys.  Never reach middle school.

Review- Insomnia

I need to start this by saying Insomnia is a very good movie.  It has all the elements a suspense movie should have, and it is acted and directed to a 'T".  I had some issues with Insomnia though.  And I don't think my issues necessarily deal with the story, the talent, or even the archetypal path the movie tends to follow.  My problem is with Christopher Nolan.  That isn't something you'll often see here.  My problem is with Christopher Nolan.  I respect the man.  I have yet to see a Nolan movie that I didn't at least understand the merit in.  I was one of the guys that saw Inception numerous times.  To top that I enjoyed the movie very much.  I know that 1/2 of America thought it was the best thing since sliced bread, but I thought it was very adequate.  Good even.  But not outstanding.  No.  My opinion of Christopher Nolan as a director is not determined by Inception.  It was set long before that on the basis of Memento, The Dark Knight, and The Prestige.  I was disappointed in Christopher Nolan here.

In my opinion, Nolan wears a lot of different masks.  He is a brilliant technological director.  He is also a brilliant comic book reviver, suspense director, and talent-seeker.  What is hard about Insomnia is that it has no traces of Nolan behind the camera.  All of the evidence of a Nolan-esque story is there.  Potentially ambiguous ending, moral wrestling- it seems right up his alley.  But I think the real error here is that he is using somebody else's story.  Nolan thrives on bringing his own scripts to life- not rehashing stories originally told by others.  Still, back to my first comment- Insomnia is a very good movie.

The movie begins with detectives Dormer (Al Pacino) and Eckhart (Martin Donovan) traveling to Alaska to help solve the murder of a 17-year-old girl.  On a side note, I assure you I am not trying to write consecutive reviews about little-girl-murders- it just happened.  As the case is revealed, we learn that Dormer is in a bit of trouble with Internal Affairs.  This, we are told, is a driving factor behind getting the detectives out of town.  Later, in a dinner conversation between Dormer and Eckhart, Eckhart   tells Dormer that he has been offered a deal for immunity for any information he may have regarding the investigation.  Eckhart, being a family man and feeling the need to protect himself, voices his intention to accept the deal to the disgust of Dormer.  From here forward we see their relationship deteriorate as it becomes clear that Dormer feels betrayed.

The case regarding the murder of our young damsel trudges on with most of the heavy-lifting falling to Dormer and the young Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank).  A lead reveals itself in the form of a book bag that is found.  In order to lure the killer back to the site, Dormer orders that a dispatch in search of the book bag be broadcast over public airwaves.  However, when the suspect does arrive he is spooked by a megaphone and darts into the Alaska fog- shooting one of the supporting officers in the leg in the process.  Dormer follows the suspect on foot and as a figure appears in the cloudy haze, Dormer fires.  As he approaches the downed man, he quickly discovers that it is, in fact, his partner Eckhart.  Dormer, knowing how this will look scrubs the scene to make it appear as thought the suspect killed Eckhart.  The one thing he has neglected, is that the suspect saw everything.  Through a series of phone conversations and meetings we learn that our suspect (who reveals his guilt in the murder) is Walter Finch (Robin Williams), a local mystery writer.  Having been caught in the act, and facing an inability to catch a good night's sleep, we see Dormer wrestle with his own morality, and indeed sanity.

Insomnia is not a miss, but it isn't a solid hit either.  The story is intriguing enough and the cast each plays his/her respective role to satisfaction, and in some cases (Robin Williams, Maura Tierney) to perfection.  My only complaint truly is that the story is (and feels) very recycled.  Based off of the Norwegian film of the same name released just 5 years earlier, it lacks the originality and imagination that we have become accustomed to seeing out of Christopher Nolan.  Insomnia is definitely worth a watch.  it is a quality film with capable players, but for this Nolan fan, "short-changed" is the only way to really describe the feeling of the credits rolling.

Overall Rating- 7/10

Review- The Pledge

I really wanted to like The Pledge.  I love Jack Nicholson.  I love Aaron Echart.  I love Sean Penn in the director's chair (see Into The Wild).  I did not love The Pledge.  The real annoyance of this movie is that it could have been so good.  We'll get to the "fixing" part later, but first let's look at the movie that actually exists.  There is nothing that sticks out in the performances, or even the directing that is particularly off-putting.  In fact, the conviction with which Nicholson plays his grizzled old detective is actually part of what is so vexxing.  Sean Penn does a beautiful job of creating a taut, tense thriller- textbook actually.  The real problem is that he doesn't do anything with the environment he creates.  The story just isn't there.  I did a little research on the film, and it is based on a book by Friedrich DurrenMatt.  This story must have worked on the page, but it certainly doesn't on the movie set.  

The story starts with a retirement.  After 30+ years of service to the Reno Police Department, Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson) is retiring to a life of fishing and leisure.  Of course this all changes when his retirement party is interrupted by news of the brutal murder of a 7-year-old girl that has taken place that night.  Jerry goes with his replacement, Stan Krolak (a mustachioed Aaron Eckhart) to investigate the crime scene.  It is determined that an eye witness has pin-pointed the man he saw fleeing the scene and he is waiting at the police station.  Our suspect is Toby Jay (Benicio Del Toro).  Toby is a mentally retarded man who Krolak sees as an easy confession.  Toby was found guilty in a very similar crime years earlier and, with just a bit of pressure applied, Krolak gets his confession.  Black doesn't buy it though.  He is able to (somehow) sense that Toby was talking about the previous crime.  Of course, none of this matters for Poor Old Toby, as he promptly seizes a cop's gun and blasts his teeth through the wall (literally).  We then see Black move to the area where several similar crimes have taken place and begin to investigate.  From this point forward we have the typical unraveling of clues about town, and we see Black fall in love with a little, blond girl remarkably similar to those murdered, and her mother (In a delightfully trashy turn by Robin Wright-Penn).  As his former colleagues begin to doubt his sanity, Black begins to feel the threat of violence nearing.  When the killer's presence surfaces close to home, can Jerry Black save his new found family?

Did that sound like a cheesy, trailer description?  Well that is probably because that is what watching it feels like.  The movie spends a great deal of time and effort making sure that we care about the characters- that we understand the importance of their plight.  But it takes all of that emotional investment and dumps it in our empty popcorn buckets.  There is no payoff.  No final sense of denouement.  There doesn't always need to be a satisfying ending in film.  But psychological thrillers need to have one.  You can't (effectively) pull a No Country For Old Men-style ending for thrillers.  Something needs to happen.  And the ending for The Pledge just sucks.  Watch it- you'll see what I mean.  I'm not going to say anything else because I don't like spoilers, but check out the Wikipedia site if you don't want to sit through it.  And it really may not be the ending that is so terrible.  It may be that the movie seems like it is going to be great.  The cinematography is beautiful.  The score is perfect.  Even the performances (including cameo roles by Helen Mirren and Harry Dean Stanton) are really, quite good.  It is all of this quality and potential that makes the payoff so disappointing.  

So here is what we have.  A movie with a top-notch cast.  A movie with some beautiful shots of the stunning American west.  A movie with a really compelling story.  And a bad movie.  What does that tell you?  Something went wrong in transit from the page to the screen, and even the capable hands of veterans like Penn and Nicholson weren't enough to separate The Pledge from the dime-a-dozen thrillers that come out every month.  Sorry Jerks, but stick to Unbreakable and The Usual Suspects.

Overall Rating- 4/10

Features-The Jerk's 5 favorite Netflix shows 8/2

These aren't the 5 most critically acclaimed shows available through Netflix.  They aren't the 5 most watched shows on Netflix either.  These are the 5 shows on Netflix that get the most viewing from this Jerk.  I love watching movies on Netflix- LOVE IT.  But more often I need to relax after a day of school and work and just gaze blankly into the boob-tube.  These are the best shows to enjoy when you just need to enjoy a show.

5.  American Dad-  Family Guy sucks pretty badly.  I hate to say that but it undoubtedly just sucks.  American Dad is a different story altogether.  Seth Macfarlane takes the "Like that time I"'s out of his overweight, high-voiced man-child and replaces them with one of the wittiest, most ridiculous, but mainly- American men to ever grace our screens.

4.  The Office- The Office has fallen off a bit in recent years.  I'll be the first to admit that.  But there was a time when Michael, Dwight, Jim, and the rest of our weekly co-workers made us enjoy Thursday nights.  We all clearly enjoy Thursdays for It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia now, but The Office is what we can stream instantly anytime.  Never a bad choice after a particularly horrible day at work.

3.  Intervention- This is going to sound bad.  I am giving you ample warning.  But there is nothing better than being able to say "Hey, at least I'm not that guy".  I told you it would sound bad.  But it is so true.  Relax.  Kick your feet up.  Crack open a cold one.  Hell, crack open 6.  Because I guarantee you can flip this show on and confidently say "It's okay.  At least I don't huff computer air-duster and walk on sunshine all day".

2.  Chappelle's Show- Sketch comedy is great.  Shows like SNL, and MADtv are pretty enjoyable.  Dave Chappelle reinvented sketch comedy.  In 2 (sort of 3) seasons, Dave Chappelle turned sketch comedy from something you chuckle absently at, to something you laugh uncontrollably, constantly at.  Everything about this is amazing.  The stand-up, the sketches, the cast, the writing- everything.  What a shame Dave Chappelle retired.  No less, this show will remain a testament to one of the funniest men of the last 20 years.

1.  Trailer Park Boys- The boys just want to drink liquor, smoke dope, and live like kings in Sunnyvale Trailer Park.  Is that so much to ask?  Apparently it is.  Trailer Park Boys is the remarkably, stupidly genius Canadian comedy about Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles living the white trash dream.  Despite their best efforts the boys just seem to wreak of arrest warrants.  Give this little-known gem a try when you miss out on that promotion.  You deserve it.

And stay tuned!  These shows will be updated weekly according to what the Jerk is currently watching.  Leave a comment. Tell me what I am missing out on.

Review- About A Boy

What a pleasant surprise.  I'm not just talking about the movie itself, but who knew Hugh Grant could act?  I sat down to watch this movie only after seeing that it had the unbelievable score of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.  I thought to myself, "You keep reviewing really heavy, dark films.  Maybe try a chick flick for a change."  As a side note, you will find that I have a strange affinity toward romantic comedies- R-rated ones.  I know they aren't for everyone, but movies like Love, Actually, and Knocked Up bring a certain sense of optimism that probably isn't entirely realistic, but a nice escape from reality no less.  About a Boy is not one of these movies.  I find myself once again reviewing a sort of morbid film here.  However, the difference between About a Boy and, say Very Bad Things is that not only was this movie underscored with light-hearted relief from its darker tones, but it was good.  Very good.

About A Boy is the first grown up effort from the the Weitz brothers.  That's right: the same guys who brought you American Pie have moved on to slightly more adult-pitched ventures, adapting this Nick Hornby novel.  The movie starts examining a day in the life of Will (Hugh Grant).  Will is a happy bachelor drifting though life alone, jobless, but mostly satisfied, living off of the royalties of a song his father wrote in the 1950's.  He is a bachelor to the n-th degree- and quite the eligible one at that.  One day, in his many womanizing ventures, Will meets and begins to see a woman who we find out has a son.  As he tries to decide how he should go about ending things, something amazing happens- she ends it.  Overcome by the lack of guilt, Will decides this is worth exploring and begins attending SPAT meetings (Single Parents Alone Together).  He meets mostly frumpy women in their 40's throwing a group pity party, but does manage to see a light through the storm in Suzie- an attractive 30-something single mother.  The two go out a few times (as naturally Will has invented a son who doesn't live with him).  It is during one of their dates that Will meets Marcus (Nichloas Hoult), an intriguing (if slightly odd) boy whose mother (Toni Collette) is in a bad way and may just "need a weekend to herself".  This was a bad idea.  After returning Marcus home, it is discovered that his mother has attempted suicide.  She, however, survives and is brought right back home to continue raising her son (now I don't know how things are across the pond, but that raised a bit of skepticism for this American-bred viewer).  Marcus decides that two just isn't enough and that a third- being Will, of course- is needed just in case.  And so begins our journey of boy changing man, man seeing more to life, and eventual happiness for all.  

What is remarkable about About a Boy is that, while the themes are pretty heavy, the humor remains light, ensuring its audience is never laughing solely because we need a break from all the depression.  Hugh Grant has never been used more effectively than this.  For the most part we see him in roles that play directly to his shtick- what I like to call the Jimmy Stewart shtick.  While these performers are very different, they both managed to make it based on their ability to be so lovingly befuddled all the time.  This seemed really fresh for about a movie or so- A movie.  But About a Boy sees Grant (for once) playing a character that is shallow, devious, and just sort of a rascal.  And it is awesome.  Hugh Grant (imagine I'm saying this through a megaphone)- DO MORE MOVIES LIKE THIS AND PEOPLE WILL COME TO SEE THEM.  Of course there are several other strong performances throughout the movie, not the least of which is Toni Collette's suicidal mother.  Also a strong turn from the young Nicholas Hoult, and the more seasoned Rachel Weisz certainly contribute to the quality of the film. 

Overall, About a Boy is a sweet, touching story about suicide... which i didn't really know was possible.  Due to the strong performances, capable script adaptation, and surprising skill behind the camera, the movie becomes more than just your run-of-the-mill romantic comedy.  Movies like Notting Hill, and The Bridget Jones Diary may be where Hugh Grant earns his big paychecks, but watch About a Boy and I think you'll agree- we could use a little less boyish schmuck, and a little more adult jerk.

Overall Rating- 7.5/10

Attention Jerks!- FilmJerk is going Netflix

In my infinite wisdom I have noticed one thing over my last week of work.  That's right- one.  Given that I only really "work" for about an hour and a half a week, I feel this is a great accomplishment.  What I have noticed is that (to my knowledge) there is no resource on these great interwebs that devotes itself to the viewing- and the reviewing- of movies that can be found on the Netflix Instant Cue.  And ONLY movies that are available through the Netflix Instant Cue.  So you may be like:

"Hey I want to watch something on Netlix.  But there are so many choices, I need a little guidance."
BOOM
"Yo son.  I got the hook-up.  Check this shit out."

So as of today, July 25th 2011, this website's reviews will be devoted solely to guiding you in your quest for movies you don't want to pay more than $8/month to see.  Stay tuned for films you can blindly judge based on my flawless opinions AND then watch immediately from home.  Keep pimpin' Jerks.

Review- The Shape of Things

Neil Labute is the man.  There is no way around that.  I see a lot of feedback on various sites criticizing Labute for his directing work on films like the remake of The Wicker Man, and Death at a Funeral and those criticisms are fair.  He really hasn't directed anything of much merit since this gem.  But I still find it amazing how quickly people can forget about a director's back-catalogue once they start releasing flops.  Let's not forget that this is the man who also gave us In The Company of Men, and Your Friends and Neighbors.  This film, as well as those last two, is a study in the human potential for evil.  Not in the classic, serial-killing, bloodfest sort of way, but in how we interact with each other.

The Shape of Things was originally a stage play so it comes across as such.  There are only four characters and the story is rooted firmly in the dialogue between said characters.  Adam (Paul Rudd) is a regular, if homely college student working his way through school.  One day at his museum job he meets Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) in a classic boy-meets-girl type of way- or so we think.  It isn't long before the two strike up a conversation regarding the nature of art and its subjectivity (as we learn that Evelyn is pursuing a master's degree in art).  The two hit it off and enter a romantic relationship.  But the real fun begins when we meet the pair of friends whom Adam has known since his freshman year, Phillip (Frederick Weller) and Jenny (Gretchen Mol).  The pair are engaged and go on a series of double dates with Adam and Evelyn until, in a hilarious scene featuring all four actors, an argument ensues over the defacement of a statue in the museum Adam works at (which we learn earlier was the work of Evelyn).  In this scene we are also told, in a brilliantly subtle series of jests that Adam and Jenny had a "thing" a few years back, but it never really came to fruition.  As we proceed the film sees Jenny and Adam cheating on their respective mates as Adam begins to grow more attractive with significant coaxing from Evelyn.  At her request Adam has lost weight, changed his hairstyle, switched from glasses to contacts and even gotten a nose job.  When Evelyn discovers Adam's acts of infidelity via a journal of his progress he has been keeping, yet another argument ensues in a coffee shop between Adam, Evelyn and Jenny.  This brings us to Evelyn's big thesis presentation.  I will stop here for the purposes of maintaining the true draw of the film/play.  But suffice it to say this quickly becomes more than your run-of-the-mill romantic comedy.  And if you have seen Labute's early works it will come as no surprise that the conclusion of The Shape of Things will leave you with a reaction.

What I have left out here will be the deciding factor in whether or not you enjoy this movie, or any of Labute's stage-to-screen works, really.  He is a very polarizing director and even moreover, a polarizing writer.  The Shape of Things is meant to be discussed.  And given the nature of the ending, not talking about it seems highly unlikely to this reviewer, so I would recommend seeing it with a friend.  The performances delivered here are all wonderful, but the reason you haven't seen much talk of them is that the acting is so secondary to the story.  Overall, The Shape of Things is an astounding achievement in drama, both on stage (I have just had the privilege of seeing it mounted here in Des Moines) and on screen.  See it.  Talk about it.  Judge for yourself if art is really as "subjective" as we claim it is.

Rating- 10/10