The Netflix Trifecta!

Yes, I did just invent that concept for this article. I haven't actually been trying to achieve The Netflix Trifeca this whole time. But, I did watch three movies over three days this past weekend, and I did enjoy all of them on some level. And I did get all three in one mailing from Netflix. So I thought I'd dash off some reviews for a Monday evening in which I implied that I never got three great movies from Netflix all at once before. So it's a gimmick. So sue me.

(And yes, that is just a graphic that I found on a Google Image search. No idea where it came from. On with the reviews!)

Let's start with Domino.

You can have your Keira Knightley, I've found mine. A little side-by-side comparison, if you please.

Now I won't deny that I enjoyed watching her in Pirates of the Caribbean, but she's even better looking in Domino, I say. Plus she kicked ass. In lesser hands, this movie could have ended up way, way down there in Four Trent country, but this movie was directed by Tony Scott. You've all seen a Tony Scott film, whether or not you care to admit it. Most recently you might have seen Man on Fire, Spy Game, or Enemy of the State, all of which are worth seeing, especially EotS, which probably cracks my top ten movies list. They've also captured enough of a distinctive style that even wadE was able to convey to me that he meant Tony Scott in a recent conversation, even though he couldn't actually name any of the movies (or Mr. Scott's name) accurately.

And even if you haven't seen any of those, I'm gonna assume that you've seen Top Gun, or Beverly Hills Cop II (one or the other). Those are Tony Scott films too. There are others, including the SP cult favorite, The Last Boy Scout, which I watched a bit of on TBS this weekend as well. I don't recommend it as an edited experience. The whole Why did Mister Milo cross the road? joke loses its funny when the answer becomes Because he was stuck in the chicken!. Ya know, for example.

Anyway... Scott goes to a whole new level with Domino, and watching some of the DVD extras it's clear that he made a point of being experimental with his filmmaking. A lot of the talk went over my head as to the process, but it's stuff like shooting in extra high speed and then developing it like it was a different speed, or something like that... results in lots of odd colors and artifacts, which then was put into digital and messed with further. The result is a really unique visual style for the movie, even moreso than the technical style already referenced. It's just kind of a trip to watch, frankly.

The plot itself? Well, it's a little thin, but it is based on a real person, a female bounty hunter named Domino Harvey. There's a bit of a plot that tries to work itself into putting their squad into a reality tv show, and a failed mob extortion scheme, and it's interesting enough stuff. But it's just not very deep, and at least to me it didn't wrap up well. I liked it anyway.

Oh, and this should appeal to those other two wackos here: it does feature the on-screen reunion of Ian Ziering, and Brian Austin Green. And they do suitably mock themselves, so that's nice.

Let's go two Trents on this one. It was solid.

Next movie? My Date with Drew.

I got this on a recommendation from a friend who said I in particular would find it inspiring. I can only assume he wanted me to rhyme the title. But he was right, this is really a pretty interesting flick. Don't buy into the hype in the picture there - this isn't some kind of a game show, in fact the 30 days angle was invented and seemed unnecessary to me. But hey, I didn't make the movie.

In any case, the plot is simple. Random broke guy "in the business" in Hollywood really wants to meet Drew Barrymore since he's had a crush on her since he was 10. So he decides to see if he can do it and what the hell, why not make a movie out of it? It ends up being a really interesting look at just how much networking goes into getting anything done in the movie business. And while I was worried about the potential for moments where you're just sitting there uncomfortable on behalf of the protagonist, it never reaches that level. The guy remains sincere and likeable throughout, and the movie ends on a nice upbeat note.

I liked it a lot, but I'll admit this movie isn't for everyone. But if you're in the mood for something out of the ordinary that's still sweet, I'd suggest checking this out. I'm gonna give this two Trents too.

And finally... we've got Sin City.

Heard a lot of mixed reviews on this one, and I can see why. It's based on a cartoon (err, "graphic novel", sorry), and it retains a lot of that feel, crossed with a heavy dose of 50s gangster movie. The violence tends to be overly graphic, but obviously cartoony, which makes for an odd effect. The cast is huge, and the movie plays out three stories that are mostly connected. So it's a lot to take in, in a weird style, in a genre that isn't for everyone.

And the result is visually really unique. I liked the visual part of it a lot, even if the violence bothered me for some reason. I've seen worse and it didn't bug me, but this did. I'm not sure why. Mostly black-and-white, with color for accent or effect, and it looked like a lot of animated elements worked into the live action, and not in a Who Framed Roger Rabbit kind of way, either. This was more for texture.

But, the story and characters didn't grab me. I think it might have worked better for me as a shorter, one-storyline affair, but I don't have any familiarity at all with the graphic novels it's based on, so I might just be missing the point. And I don't feel like typing out a plot summary, so I'm not going to. This is another good choice if you're in the mood for something different, especially if you're into the gangster genre. It feels like a two Trent night, because I can't quite put this one down in the 2.5 zone with more dud-like movies like Dark Water...

So there you have it. Three movies, three days, three decent rankings. Although if truth be told I've put these in order of my overall preference. Your milage may vary. In any even, I've clearly done it - The Netflix Trifecta!

-- 02/27/2006