I finally got Netflix.
I'm just sampling it out for now; I don't know if I wanna make it permanent yet. I watch it on my new iPad. So far I'm bingeing on Deep Space Nine, rewatching the whole thing from the beginning and remembering why I loved that show so much. Eventually, I'll watch some original Netflix movies and write about them here the same way I would for any other movie.
I gotta say, it's addictive to the point of ridiculousness. To be able to watch DS9, or any TV show or movie available on Netflix, on demand whenever I want, is almost too much power for any one person. And yet now it has become part of everyday consumption, like Amazon Prime, CBS All Access, Hulu, etc.
It's too easy. I just can't help but feel there's a danger in that, like it has less value that way. So far, though, I'm wrong. I hope I stay wrong.
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Green Book for Best Picture? Really? I seriously underestimated that one. When I first saw the trailer, I dismissed it as a twist on Driving Miss Daisy — the kind of "can't we all get along" kind of movie I'd seen lots of times before.
Even now, I find it impossible to believe it's a better movie than Roma (which did take three Oscars, including Director). I guess I'll have to give it a look when it comes to cable, but I still say Roma was robbed. And it certainly can't be as good as White Savior!
Yay for Regina King winning Supporting Actress! I've liked her ever since she was a kid on the TV show 227 back in the 80s. She would make a perfect Michelle Obama, by the way...
Yay for Spike winning an Oscar (Adapted Screenplay). Finally.... I was certain Lady Gaga would win Best Actress, so I'm glad she didn't (though she did take Original Song).... Yay for Rami Malek for taking Best Actor, though I still say Rhapsody wasn't that great a movie.
The complete list of winners.
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Oscar winner Manchester by the Sea is one of the biggest successes of Amazon Studios. I've paid to see that, along with the Woody Allen comedy Cafe Society and the recent Polish film Cold War.
The HQ2 situation made me aware of Amazon's business practices, and it makes me a little uncomfortable to support them, but I turn a blind eye to it. Manchester was the kind of film I would want to see and blog about. It's entirely possible other movies of that caliber could be made by Amazon in the future.
It's the sort of compromise we all agree to every day. We pick and choose which stands to take.
More after the jump.
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The novel suffered a setback last month. A beta reader told me it needs a lot of work, although she did say she liked it. This was pretty humbling, not just because I had believed I was close to done, but because so many other people, other writers, have generally given it more praise. They've given me their share of criticisms, too, but not at this level.
Fortunately, this beta reader is someone I know and trust well. I'm inclined to take her seriously on this, not that it still doesn't hurt.
Don't know what my new timetable for completion is now, but I got no choice but to see what there is to see in this critique. If I have to make wholesale changes, then I have to.
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Next week, Debbie and I have the Richard Matheson Blogathon for you, which you can still get in on. E-mail me or post in the comments and you'll join the list. Poor Debbie has suffered an ankle injury, but she says she'll be ready.
Also this month, I'll return again to the Queens World Film Festival. If you're in town for it, do stop by if you can; it's bigger than ever this year, and you're certain to discover some quality work.
Your links:
Crystal describes the time she met Angela Lansbury.
Jacqueline writes about a peculiar marketing trend from back in the day: fictional adventure novels featuring film stars.
Paddy profiles Irving Berlin and his biggest hit songs.
Brazilian native Le examines the Brazilian/French all-timer Black Orpheus.
Fritzie shares some vintage comic strips that defend the new medium of moving pictures from haters.
Marsha remembers how she first discovered Buster Keaton.
Green Book was a controversial film almost from the beginning.
The secret history of Vertigo's McKittrick Hotel.
Lansbury has been a fitness expert. What's it like to live like her?
Watching the Oscars has become less of a big deal for some.
This should have been a Doctor Strange movie, but the filmmakers lost the rights. (NSFW)
And then there was the time that Negro League baseball player became a film actor.
You must listen to this vocal tribute to John Williams.
A supercut of films set in New York.
Thanks for the great links. Love that medley! Wonder if they'd consider doing Irving Berlin. H'm.
ReplyDeleteOscar hooray for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. I was entertained and oh so impressed! Oscar hooray for animated short Bao and Sheridan grad Domee Shi!
My feelings about the novel are sincere. Only you will know when you are finished.
I happened to catch that BAO was made by a fellow Torontonian (Torontite?). I'll look for it. Haven't seen SPIDER-VERSE yet.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that medley amazing? A choral friend I met last summer posted it to her FB page this week and I had to include it, even though it's not new.
Thanks again for your insights on the novel. Sooner or later I'm gonna finish that thing.
Thanks for including me in the cast of all those great bloggers, Rich. Good luck with your novel.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I could use it.
ReplyDeleteHooray for Netflix! I'm glad you joined the crowd. They have been criticized for their (lack of) selection of classic films, but I really like the number of foreign films they've made available.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you brought that up about classic movies on Netflix. I was wondering about that. My impression was that they didn't have as many as other streaming sites, like Mubi or Hulu, but that's not my concern at the moment.
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