Okay, it doesn’t. Or more properly, the characters do not have your back. In fact, many of them would agree with Elim Garak that shooting a man in the back is the best way to ensure you shoot a man dead. But what is Black Sails, you ask? It’s a four-season TV series which serves as a prequel series to the events of Treasure Island aka the novel that launched countless film adaptations and continues…
(Note: this capsule review is part of my farewell to the Netflix DVD service. #GetThroughMyQueue) I’ve heard only good things about this film since it first came out and since, but I avoided it back in the day because it sounded like it involved no mecha, no sci-fi/fantasy, and was also a downer. All of this was proven correct. American bombers are the closest we get to mecha… and the only fantastical elements are occasional…
(Note: this capsule review is part of my farewell to the Netflix DVD service. #GetThroughMyQueue) Another late era Hitchcock, this time with Paul Newman… and Mary freakin’ Poppins! Alas, Julie Andrews doesn’t have much to do for most of the film which is less than supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. However, if we’re talking about something really quite atrocious, it’s the paranoid police state that is East Germany, which is well represented in the film. Not only that, many…
(Note: this capsule review is part of my farewell to the Netflix DVD service. #GetThroughMyQueue) I confess, I haven’t seen several of the later Hitchcocks and they’re all in my Netflix queue. This is another one of movies that had a “Very Long Wait” until it was suddenly headed my way. I wonder if there was a reason I didn’t see this one as a kid. Oh. Oh, yes. Now I see. This is way…
(Note: this capsule review is part of my farewell to the Netflix DVD service. #GetThroughMyQueue) This is one of those classics I can’t remember if I’ve seen, which usually means it’s been over 30 years if I did see it. And speaking of classics, if you’re not in a “Turner Classic Movies” mood, the action may seem to slow-paced and tame… and you might focus on the fact that this film was so clearly based…
(Note: this capsule review is part of my farewell to the Netflix DVD service. #GetThroughMyQueue) So, even though it wasn’t available for the longest time, this proved to actually be streaming at just the right time on Paramount+ (which of I naturally have, because Star Trek). There’s something to be said for using some of the exact same crew you used for the documentary version of the subject (Little Dieter Needs to Fly) and a…
(Note: this capsule review is part of my farewell to the Netflix DVD service. #GetThroughMyQueue) Werner Herzog is such a prolific filmmaker, I suppose I could have filled up much of my queue with his films, because, although I’ve seen dozens, there’s way more that I haven’t seen. This particular film has bounced in and out of Netflix’s “very long wait,” so I was happy to have it finally pop up (to be followed by…
(Note: this capsule review is part of my farewell to the Netflix DVD service. #GetThroughMyQueue) Yet another DVD I’ve been meaning to check out for ages. This black comedy is an absolute favorite of several indie filmmaker friends I know. Now, I get why. Being into smaller indie films will definitely aid your enjoyment of the film, as well as wanting humor that’s dry as a bone and peppered with profanity as punctuation in that…
(Note: this capsule review is part of my farewell to the Netflix DVD service. #GetThroughMyQueue) This DVD has been hanging out on the “unavailable” section of my Netflix queue for years. Years! It’s one of many collections and has the Quay’s films from roughly 1979 through 1993. There are apparently more comprehensives collections, though finding them available in the U.S. is difficult. Yet another reason I’ve been happy to keep the Netflix DVDs flowing. For…
(Note: this capsule review is part of my farewell to the Netflix DVD service. #GetThroughMyQueue) This is a mini-series version, so at 3 hours, divided into two parts, it gives the story time to breathe… and I really like that approach for this story. One of my favorite versions of Treasure Island is a two-plus-hour audio version by the Mind’s Eye. At the same time they make the fatal flaw so many of these adaptations…