Two weeks of movies: The Netflix crash course
I signed up for a free trial of Netflix and decided to binge on as many movies as I could in two weeks without totally ignoring my real life. I got through 11, which is pretty good all things considered, and lots of them were very good. Here's what I saw and what I thought (don't worry, no spoilers):

Juno – I enjoyed this, although it didn’t quite live up to all the crazy hype. I did like the attitude and spunk Diablo Cody brought, although honestly I would probably hate Juno if I knew her in real life. However, Allison Janney can do no wrong, in my humble opinion.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith – This was the perfect movie to watch on Valentine’s Day: sexy actors, rage, violence and deception. Good stuff.

The Fountain – A really beautiful art piece. The lighting alone makes this worth a viewing. Some of the parallels and visual ties between the past, present, and future storylines were very striking and gracefully done. But it felt like something was missing and I can’t quite put my finger on what. I almost wish they’d done one more draft on the script. It seemed to hint at a lot of profound ideas, not quite posing questions and definitely not giving concrete answers. As a piece of cinematic art, I liked it, but even a day later I’m still mulling over what more I wanted from the movie. I may need to watch it again later and see if my opinion holds.

Real Women Have Curves – I really want to have a beer and shoot the breeze with America Ferrera. I think she seems like such a fun, laid-back gal. The plot here is nothing new and I don’t think it was terribly realistic (how many high school teachers just happen to be best buds with the dean at Columbia University?), but there’s still a lot of charm in this movie. And mad props to Lupe Ontiveros, who played the mom; she was fantastic.

Me and You and Everyone We Know – A movie about damaged and detached people. I don’t quite know what to do with movies like this because it seems like they’re trying so hard to be “deep” that I can’t simply enjoy them. Visually, though, this one had great colors and some of the character quirks were brilliant. I really liked the idea of technology and connection and art, and the sections that dealt with that were my favorites. The squicky dude hitting on the teenaged girls was not my favorite, nor was the chatroom side plot. However, I’d give this movie the nod for best writing thus far in the Netflix experiment. This is also the first movie in this endeavor where I especially noticed the instrumental soundtrack and felt like it was a very right fit. The more I think about it after the fact, the more I like it. I’d like to watch it again once the marathon’s over.

I’m Not There – Awesome. Really awesome. I don’t know a lot of Bob Dylan history, but I liked this idea of presenting his many self-inventions. Interesting way of presenting an artist, music, fame and creation. Cate Blanchett and Marcus Carl Franklin were fantastic, Christian Bale had some great moments, lots of excellent supporting roles. Lots of great writing and great visuals. Not only do I want to listen to copious amounts of Dylan now, I kind of want to buy this movie. 

Be Kind Rewind – Very cute and had some genuine laugh-out-loud moments. I wish I’d seen more of the movies they were recreating, but I still enjoyed it. Jack Black is one of my favorite movie comedians, and I think he can really shine in smart films like this one (also High Fidelity). I’d definitely recommend it. 

Waiting for Guffman – The best part of the movie was about half an hour in when I realized Corky St. Clair was the six-fingered man from The Princess Bride. Who knew? The movie itself was just sort of okay for me. A little disappointing.

Thank You For Smoking – Smart and sassy. I laughed out loud at several points, and both the writing and acting were totally solid. Oddly, I feel like it had really good sets: very strong yet modern in lines and colors. It made a fitting backdrop, so props to the design team. My only question was an element of the Katie Holmes plotline, and honestly, I would have cast somebody else. She was the weakest link in a great cast and she just bothers me on principle. But despite my brief disappointment to a kind of obvious plot twist, the movie redeemed itself and took a slightly different take than I expected for the ending. I really enjoyed it and would watch it again.

Burn After Reading – If memory serves, this was my first Coen brothers movie. It was pretty good, but not a stand-out for me. Brad Pitt was hysterical, though. I really think I’ve sold him short all these years. I’ve seen him in movies that are pure fluff (see Mr. and Mrs. Smith), but even then he’s really got something kind of magic on screen. He’s a scene-stealer. The saving orphans and being incredibly sexy don’t hurt either. So good for you, Brad, you’ve finally won me over. Coen brothers, you still have some work to do.

Lars and the Real Girl – This was such a good movie to end the Netflix venture on. It was sweet and a little sad and seriously renewed my faith in humanity. (What, sometimes a girl has doubts.) It’s another one that I plan on watching again and possibly adding to my collection. I don’t have anything else concrete to say other than to highly, highly recommend it.